


Stay Awhile

by revesle



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: All The Tropes, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, High School, Jock Jon Snow, Jon Snow is Not a Targaryen, Jon and Arya are siblings, Jonerys Endgame, Jonerys Week 2018, Minor Jon Snow/Ygritte, Minor Robb Stark/Daenerys Targaryen, More tropes than you can poke a stick at, Snows and Starks are cousins, Soft Daenerys Targaryen, To All The Boys I've Loved Before AU, a TATBILB AU no one has asked for but here it is anyway, this was supposed to be a one-shot but somehow turned into a multi chap fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-07-13 22:04:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16026887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revesle/pseuds/revesle
Summary: Daenerys Targaryen's love life goes from imaginary to out of control when the love letters for every boy she's ever crushed on - five in all - are mysteriously mailed out.Written for Jonerys Appreciation Week Day 5: Tropes, and based off the Netflix movie'To All The Boys I've Loved Before'.





	1. The Letters

**Author's Note:**

> So.. I did a thing. I made a Jonerys AU graphic moments after finishing the movie and before I knew it, I was down the fic writing rabbit hole. 
> 
> Many, many thanks to the wonderful [trixareforeveryoneaq](https://trixareforeveryoneaq.tumblr.com) who basically held my hand throughout the writing process - from helping me shuffle the characters around, brainstorm plot ideas and just giving me constant unwavering support and encouragement. She's done a marvelous beta job with this story, and I would not contemplate posting this without her. 
> 
> And also for my Drunk Musketeers - [gotarcher94](https://gotarcher94.tumblr.com) and [jonerysbitch](https://jonerysbitch.tumblr.com) \- y'all know I love you both to bits and pieces.
> 
>  
> 
>   
> 

The motion activated lights illuminated the driveway below as a figure walked out into a waiting car. Dany pushed back the curtains from her bedroom window and watched as he strode over to the car parked across the street. Robb turned as if sensing her there by the window, and gave her a small wave before getting into the car with Margaery Tyrell. It was her last night at home before she left for Berkeley in the morning.

 

An emotion Dany once refused to acknowledge sunk to the pit of her stomach like a leaden weight. It was a wistfulness tinged with an ugliness that she loathed, that she despised, for feeling. If only she realised sooner. If only Robb’s eye hadn’t caught Margaery’s. _If only, if only…_

 

Dany closed the curtain and sat back down at her desk.

 

The confusion and, as much as she hated to admit, _jealousy_ , no longer reared its ugly head as frequently as it did during her sophomore year. Those intense feelings she once harboured for the boy next door - _for her brother’s best friend!_ \- fizzled out like the summer sun as the trees that lined the streets around her gradually lost their leaves.

 

The whole one-way catastrophe started off harmlessly enough. Objectively – and _platonically_ – Robb Stark was handsome enough to catch any girl’s eye with his strong jawline, which was only accentuated by his newly grown stubble, and with his neatly styled auburn curls and his twinkling blue eyes. Dany had always thought him good-looking enough – it was just a fact of life.

 

But this silly infatuation went beyond his good looks and charming presence. And that was when this self-contained trouble started.

 

She fiddled with a pen, tapping it against the desk. It was how he always tried to include her in some way whenever he and Viserys hung out. Robb never had to include his best friend’s little sister, but he did anyway. He would also constantly recommend her the latest book he had devoured, or some new records he found in his parent’s collection, or how he always saved her a seat at the bleachers where he, Viserys, Doreah and Margaery sat at lunch.

 

It was all those little things that grew into something that threatened to tear at her insides. Robb Stark was her brother’s best friend. He was dating Margaery Tyrell – someone that Dany was never close to until the older Tyrell girl took the shy freshman under her wings, sheltering her from the shit storm that was high school.

 

She looked at her jewellery box and gingerly unlocked it to slip in a fifth envelope. It was the latest addition to her most secret of possessions. Her love letters written to all the boys that she once harboured feelings for over the years. It was silly, she knew, but writing out her feelings helped her get over her little flights of fancy.

 

Dany got the idea when her mother told Viserys to write a letter to the boy who had been tormenting him at school instead of hitting him. She was only nine at the time and thought it the most genius of ideas. Unlike her brother who slept on the letter before discarding it, thus successfully getting over his desire to give into primal violence, she kept her letters surreptitiously locked inside her mother’s porcelain jewellery box.

 

She found writing down these feelings, these little fantasies, liberating as it allowed her to channel her emotions. It was, after all, easier to fantasise than to ground herself in the bleak reality that was her life.

 

There had only been four other occasions when she felt like this, and thus there were only four other non-recipients of her letters.

 

The first letter was addressed Daario Naharis from Model UN in the fifth grade. Then there was one for Drogo Dothraki from her sixth-grade summer camp. The third letter was for Jon Snow, who was her first kiss in seventh grade at Edd Tollett’s birthday party during spin the bottle. In freshman year, she added another letter for Loras Tyrell after he asked her to dance at Homecoming.

 

And now, Robb Stark was her latest non-recipient.

 

Satisfied that she had put this ordeal behind her, she sat back in her chair and admired the neat stack. There were five letters now for five non-recipients.

 

* * *

 

“ _Rhaenys_!” Dany called from the bottom of the stairs, her eyes flicking over to the clock. Fifteen minutes to eight – they could be late if her eleven-year-old niece did not hurry.

 

“I’m coming!” Nessie came bounding down the stairs with her bag and a helmet in her hands. Her dark hair was still not tied up and there was a bit of cereal stuck to her t-shirt from breakfast. She jumped the last two steps and shoved on her shoes, “Sorry, I couldn’t find my helmet.”

 

“Is that necessary?” Dany eyed the helmet in her niece’s hands, wondering why she had to make this ordeal even more painful than necessary.

 

Nessie just looked at her, her indigo eyes serious. “I think survival is _very_ necessary, Dany.”

 

She rolled her eyes and hurried the eleven-year-old out of the door before she locked up the house. Nessie climbed into the passenger seat, buckled herself in and Dany could have sworn she saw the girl _cross_ herself.

 

The driveway was clear for her to back out of without Rhaegar’s SUV parking the old Honda in. He left for hospital early this morning as he had a patient booked in for a nine-A.M cesarean, and wished his girls both a good start to the new school year the night before. A small part of Dany wondered if he did this on purpose so she wouldn’t get nervous with him watching her backing out of the driveway.

 

As Dany fished for the keys to the Honda in her pocket, she spared a glance over to the Stark residence next door in hopes of seeing Robb waiting for them like he did every other morning. The driveway was empty as Robb had left earlier, likely because he had to also take his baby brothers to school.

 

She turned and opened the back seat to put her bag down. It was wishful thinking on her part, anyway. Robb sometimes offered her and Nessie a ride to school when Viserys took the car to pick up his girlfriend Doreah. Robb’s younger siblings, Bran and Sansa, attended the same middle school as Nessie and he didn’t mind dropping the three of them off. Dany knew the arrangements would have been different if Margaery Tyrell did not live on the other side of town.

 

“It’s not too late for me to drive, y’know,” Nessie said when Dany climbed into the driver seat. “We can swap if we’re pulled over. And I promise I won’t tell Dad.”

 

Dany rolled her eyes and started the car, panicking for just a moment when their old Honda spluttered a little before roaring to life, and proceeded to drive them to school.

 

The task of doing the morning drop offs fell to her with Viserys in England for college. Rhaegar told her that she’ll get more practice this way, and it’ll help her gain more confidence in her driving. This was a good idea in theory but Dany quietly wondered if she had to drown first before swimming.

 

“Ness, you can barely touch the gas pedals,” Dany told her when they stopped at a red light. The impish look on Nessie’s face told her that the eleven-year-old was still weighing up her options.

 

“You know,” Nessie drawled, “if you got a boyfriend then maybe he can drive us like Vis did with Doreah.”

 

Dany let out a snort. Nessie sure had an active imagination. “And that requires a boy _liking_ me back. That’s flaw number one to your plan, Ness.”

 

Nessie rolled her eyes. “Well, you’re not going to get one with _that_ attitude.”

 

“And what exactly do you know about boys?” Dany asked with raised brows.

 

Nessie gave her a furtive glance, “Probably more than you.”

 

She could only blink dumbly at her. Her niece was implying she knew more about boyfriends than Dany did. Was that really what the world was coming to?

 

After navigating through the early morning traffic, they finally pulled up to the middle school where she managed to park the car only slightly askew. Nessie spotted her friends walking ahead and hastily jumped out of the car with her bag, making sure to leave her helmet behind. “I’ll see you later, Dany!”

 

Dany didn’t get a chance to say goodbye before Nessie ran off. Taking a breath, she adjusted the radio until she found her favourite station, hoping the music would calm her nerves as she made her way back towards Winterfell High School.

 

* * *

 

 Dany grabbed her bag from the back seat, locked the car, locked it once more for good measure and made her way towards the entrance of the school building.

 

She could do this. The prospect of a school year without Viserys or Margaery terrified her all summer as her relative comfort and safety was pulled away. Viserys sensed this, and the night before he left for the airport, he took her aside and sat her down.

 

_“It’s time you branched out a little. Try new things, get your head out of the clouds a little and take a look around you. You will be absolutely fine, and probably forget about us by the time Homecoming comes ‘round.”_

 

Dany bit her lip as she walked through the parking lot. She missed - misses -  everyone that left, not just the ones who left for college.

 

_“I’m only across the pond,” Viserys promised, “I’ll be back for Christmas. And Marge will be back for Thanksgiving, probably. Robb is still around, plus you’ve got Val. And don't forget Rhae – you gotta look after him and Nessie as well.”_

 

Dany adjusted her bag strap, straightened her top and then pushed open the doors into the school hall.

 

_I can do this._

 

It was time to branch out of her comfort zone. Not having Marge or Vis around was not the end of the world. If she managed to drive without incident to school this morning, then she can handle her first day back without them.

 

Dany took a few steps and felt sucked into the background as people bustled past her as if she were part of the walls. She hugged her books against her and squeezed down the crowded corridors towards her locker with her eyes scanning the crowds for the distinctive auburn curls or for her best friend’s honeyed blonde hair. Neither Robb or Val were at their lockers when she walked past, which is not out of the ordinary for Val, but she wondered where Robb was considering he left for school before she and Nessie did.

 

_Weird._

 

In her preoccupation over his absence, she didn’t see the flash of wild red hair as she collided with someone.

 

“I’m so sorry-,”

 

“What the _hell_ , Daenerys,” Dany looked up to see glaring brown eyes staring at her.

 

_Oh great._

 

Ygritte Wilde.

 

Her once middle school best friend and now her, well, _not_ best friend and adversary. Ygritte’s departure from her life left Dany eating her lunches alone towards the end of middle school, and she could only pin the departure down to Ygritte’s growing popularity and her lack thereof. It wasn’t hard to imagine why things were the way they were – Ygritte was tall, athletic and had stunning hair that was kissed by fire. Dany was pale, clumsy and she almost believed the albino rumours that Ygritte had spread back in freshman year if Rhaegar hadn’t dispelled it.

 

“Look where you’re going next time,” Ygritte’s voice was possibly even more shrill after the summer, and it grated her ears as well as her nerves. Her cutting gaze turned mocking as she eyed Dany’s outfit, “Oh, and cute boots. I didn’t know you were allowed to serve so young, Daenerys.”

 

Dany swallowed the apology that bubbled in her throat and went on the offensive. She could have ignored the jab and went about her day, but she was not letting Ygritte ruin her already terrible school year. “These were my mother’s, Ygritte.”

 

“And she looks _stunning_ in them.”

 

From her peripheral Dany spotted the dark honey blonde hair, which was now streaked with purple, and cutting grey eyes. Her best friend’s arm pulled her around the shoulders into a familiar half-embrace and relief flooded through her as Val Wilde, her best friend, interjected herself into the situation.

 

“Hey cuz, don’t you have a bunch of birds to scare off the pumpkin patch?”

 

Dany pursed her lips, stifling the smile that would have aggravated the situation. She got a kick in seeing Ygritte narrowing her eyes at them, “That scarecrow joke of yours is as vintage as her boots.”

 

“I know.” Val cocked her head and smirked at the redhead, “And both are killing it,” her grey eyes dropped down to the Minnetonka Moccasins Ygritte was wearing before saying, “unlike you, _cuz._ ”

 

Dany allowed herself that smile as Ygritte opened her mouth to retort back until she saw a figure cutting his way through the corridor towards them. Whatever insult and jabs the two cousins threw at one another were drowned out as background noise as Dany kept her eyes on him approaching Ygritte from behind. His dark eyes twinkled with a boyish mischievousness when they caught hers and he pressed a finger to his lips. Dany’s jaw clenched as Jon Snow wrapped his arms around Ygritte’s waist, surprising her by pulling her into a hug.

 

It wasn’t that Dany _hated_ Jon Snow. No, around him Dany felt like she needed to be on high alert. He was one of those popular lacrosse jocks that got along with everyone well enough, but for reasons she would rather swallow glass than decipher, Jon made her nervous. And this isn’t also factoring in how his girlfriend was the school’s biggest bitch, or how he always knew how and when to push her buttons.

 

Dany and Val collectively rolled their eyes as Jon Snow planted a quick kiss on Ygritte’s crown and then flashed the two of them a smile, “Mornin’. What’s going on?”

 

Ygritte turned and gave him one of those wicked smiles that Dany associated with broomsticks. “I was just complimenting Daenerys on her government-issued boots.”

 

Val shot Dany a look, and Jon cleared his throat. “Hey babe, Edd’s back from Europe – let’s go say hi, shall we?”

 

Jon pulled his girlfriend away as Val tugged on Dany’s arm.

 

“They’re almost as slow as each other,” Val muttered as they headed to their first class. It was English Lit, and Dany had already finished the readings over the summer. “But at least Snow is useful on the lacrosse field. Ygritte can only scare the birds out of the way for him.”

 

* * *

 

“I didn’t see you at your locker this morning.”

 

A smile immediately formed on her lips as Robb Stark climbed the steps up to where she sat on the bleachers. Dany pulled out her earphones and dog eared the page she was on, “And I didn’t see you this morning.”

 

She moved her bag aside on the bleachers for Robb to get past. He did not take his usual spot and instead placed his bag next to hers before he opened up his Tupperware of leftovers. “I stopped by to say hi. Didn’t get a chance to this morning ‘cos Rickon started school.”

 

“He cried, didn’t he?” She asked with a teasing grin.

 

“You bet. Dad even caught it on his phone.”

 

Dany just shook her head and laughed. Little Rickon had insisted all summer long that he was _definitely_ going to be a big boy and not cry. “Nessie cried on her first day too. I think we all did, actually.”

 

“There’s a picture on the wall somewhere of me and Jon on our first day of kindergarten bawling our eyes out,” Robb wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, but there was still a bit of pasta sauce on the side of his mouth, “Aunt Lyanna loves teasing the shit out of Jon for that. Arya too.”

 

“Speaking of that cousin of yours,” Dany began, putting her book away, “I left for class early with Val. He had to come by and reel his girlfriend away.”

 

Robb raised an eyebrow at this. “Huh. I thought they broke up over the summer.”

 

Well, that was something she definitely did not know.

 

“They were still together this morning,” she shrugged.

 

An amicable silence descended on the two friends, sitting at the top of the bleachers, eating lunch and watching the passing and going of those below. It was peaceful up here, away from the cafeteria and everyone else. Dany found herself content with this new norm.

 

“I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Robb started, his voice unsure and his hands clasped in front of him. He was facing her, but his eyes were not quite meeting her face. “Before she left for Berkley, Marge and I broke up.”

 

Dany felt a leaden weight in her stomach. A strange emotion bubbled there, and she was not quite sure how to name it. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Did she tell you? Did you know before?”

 

“No,” she said quietly. “She never told me anything.”

 

“I-,” Robb looked away, his face crestfallen, “I thought she might’ve with you two being friends and all.”

 

She shook her head. She and Margaery Tyrell were friends, but they were never as close as she and Robb were.

 

* * *

 

 Nessie jumped into the back seat of the Honda with her helmet strapped on and buckled herself in. Dany took a cursory glance around the parking lot as she stored her bag into the boot. There were still a few stragglers around, likely those who finished lacrosse training or some other after school activity.

 

“Is that really necessary?” Dany shot Nessie a look as she checked her seatbelt. Her niece never made this big of a deal with Viserys’ driving.

 

Nessie only tightened the chin strap at this, “Duh. And statistics show that you’re safest in the back than in the front seat. That’s the seat of death if we have a collision. I looked it up today.”

 

She ignored the japes and started the ignition. Nessie could catch the bus tomorrow if she kept carrying on like a brat.

 

Dany took a breath and stared at the dashboard. The engine did not splutter when she turned the ignition like it did this morning, and she was comforted by its roar to life. So far, so good. Things were off to a good start. At least the car was not as frightened of her as she was of it.

 

_Remember, clutch, brake, gear._

 

Or was it gear, clutch, brake?

 

Was it gear first for reversing? Or was it still clutch? Why didn’t she pay more attention when Rhaegar showed her the maneuvers?

 

The Honda seemed to move backward on its own accord at a crawling speed. She must have done something right. Dany gripped the steering wheel tightly with her hands at exactly ten and two.

 

_Keep it straight, keep it straight–_

 

“Hey- _HEY_!”

 

Dany felt a resounding thump from the back of her car as someone banged on the boot. She immediately stomped on the brakes and pulled up the handbrake.

 

Did she just hit someone?

 

She did. She had actually hit someone at a crawling speed.

 

“I told you the helmet was necessary.” From the rear view mirror she saw Nessie’s eyes narrow as she clutched the helmet. “Dany, are you trying to kill someone?”

 

“No, I-,” her first motor vehicle accident victim tapped on her window, which sent her heart leaping into her throat. Taking a breath, she rolled it and down and internally groaned seeing Jon Snow’s face appear through the window. He was leaning in with his arm resting against the car, his mouth set in that stupid shit-eating grin. His hair was pulled back from his face and she could smell the distinct mix of deodorant and sweat coming off him.

 

“Hey Daenerys?” He adjusted the rearview mirror and she moved to avoid his hand, “This here is a little marvellous safety invention. It’s called a mirror, and people usually check it before they reverse so they don’t kill others behind them.”

 

She nodded, staring straight ahead to avoid looking at him. Their proximity was too close for comfort. “I know, it’s just -,” she scrambled for an excuse and came up blank.

 

_I’m just terrified of driving._

 

“I’m not- I’m not comfortable using my mirrors yet,” as the excuse fumbled out, Dany was suddenly conscious of how big her tongue felt in her mouth. Was that her best excuse?

 

“Uh huh.” Jon peered into the back where Nessie sat, “Right. You’re in charge now.”

 

“I did tell her I should be the one driving,” Nessie grinned and Jon smiled back at her.

 

_Little traitor._

 

Dany allowed herself to look at him, checking to see if he was hurt. It should have been the first thing she did, but she was too mortified, “Are you alright?”

 

He stood back from the Honda, looking even more amused than before. This was all a joke to him.

 

“I’ll live, Targaryen. Are you okay to get out of the parking lot?”

 

All she could do was nod and stared ahead with her knuckles white against the fading leather of the steering wheel.

 

_Don’t make eye contact. Don’t make eye contact._

 

“We’ll be fine,” she told him, “seriously, we’re okay. You can go.”

 

“If you say so,” Jon looked a bit unsure, but gave them a small wave and walked back to his car. Dany rolled up her windows and slumped forward in the seat and let out a guttural groan.

 

Nessie turned to see him go, “Who was _that_?”

 

“That was Jon. Jon Snow.”

 

“As in Robb’s cousin Jon?” Nessie asked, and Dany squeezed her eyes shut. Her heartbeat was erratically fast and her bare arms erupted in goosebumps from a sudden chill.

 

Robb’s cousin Jon Snow. Out of everyone she could have hit, it just had to be him.

 

“Hey, Dany,” Nessie prodded her arm, “why aren’t we moving?”

 

Maybe everything will disappear, or a hole will magically swallow her up. “We’re waiting for everyone else to leave first, that’s why.”

 

* * *

 

It was a week after what Nessie now referred to as _“The Incident”_ that Dany turned at the sound of her name being called and saw Jon Snow marching across the track field. Val slinked over from where she was stretching, her hackles raised at the sight of her cousin’s boyfriend. They were supposed to be doing laps around the track for P.E, but she and Val wandered off to the side to talk under the pretense of stretching out a cramp.

 

Val looked at her and then at Jon’s approaching figure, trying to piece things together. “What’s he doing here?”

 

“Haven’t got a clue,” Dany shrugged and hoped her feigned disinterest fooled Val. Her friend’s quirk eyebrow indicated otherwise and she averted her eyes away, pretending instead to be interested in her classmates running past them on the track.

 

Jon Snow and her never talked – not that she had much to say to the lacrosse jock and boyfriend of her tormentor. Which could only mean he’s down here to talk about the incident last week.

 

_This is it._

 

It’s happening. Jon wanted to confront her properly about the fact she almost ran him over. Dany knew the small miracle of no one else finding out was too good to be true.

 

Jon stopped short a few feet away from the two of them, his eyes glancing around as if checking to see if there was anyone else nearby. Up close, Dany thought he looked off. His hair was in his eyes and his shoulders were hunched. “Hey Targaryen, mind if I talk to you for a moment?”

 

“Me?” She asked bewildered, pointing to herself as if needing to make sure he knew he was referring to her.

 

Jon looked over to Val and pushed some of his hair out of his face, “Yeah, preferably alone, actually.”

 

“Hey Snow – is it true that Ygritte left you for a college guy?” Val asked with a smirk, not moving from her position beside Dany. “Who’s gonna scare off the birds from the lacrosse field for you now?”

 

His eyes narrowed, but he ignored the question. “It’ll take a moment. Won’t keep her long from you.”

 

“Fine,” Val begrudged and tied up her honey blonde hair before she left to do her laps, “I have my eyes on you, Snow.”

 

Dany crossed her arms as she watched Jon clenched and unclenched his hand at his side. His uneasiness only fed her own, which made her anxious for him to get this over and done with.

 

Jon cleared his throat. He really looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here and Dany almost felt bad for him. Almost. Until he spoke. “Look, Daenerys, I’m flattered. I really am. I appreciate the effort too, ‘cause I’m not a bleeding poet or anything – but, well, this is not going to happen. It’s nice that you think my eyes are deep and inky, but Ygritte and I, we’re-,” he stopped there, letting his words trail as if she knew _exactly_ what he was talking about.

 

Dany stared blankly at him. Nothing he said remotely processed in her brain. Bleeding poet? Inky eyes?

 

“I don’t understand. What are you on about?” she asked, giving him a look like he had gone insane. Did he forget his helmet during lacrosse training?

 

This only made him look even more uncomfortable as he shifted on the balls of his feet. He held up an opened envelope with his name and address scrawled in a familiar cursive, “You tell me, Targaryen. I got this in the mail yesterday.”

 

Dany’s eyes widened with recognition as the air deflated from her lungs. Jon continued rattling on, but none of his words registered as Dany saw blackspots across her vision. The ground tilted as a deep chill raced down her spine.

 

“Daenerys, hey, what’s going on-,“

 

She fainted several times before when she was younger, yet this experience was no less frightening as she toppled onto the ground. A hazy blackness consumed her, robbing her awareness as to whether a second, a minute or a moment had passed.

 

When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurred and her breathing still short. Everything was still spinning, but not as bad as before. Someone was shaking her shoulders, pleading with her to wake up, and Dany could only register Jon’s face hovering over hers with concern.

 

She blinked at him, “What just happened?”

 

“You fainted,” he helped eased her to an upright position on the ground with a hand supporting her back and arm, “Are you okay? Let’s get you to the nurse's office, come on-,”

 

Dany held her hand up and declined his help. She tried to tell him that she would be fine, that she was used to bouts of dizziness and fainting, but Jon was having none of it. He made sure she was sitting upright properly before he fetched her some water.

 

Gingerly she stretched her legs to check if there were any scraps from the fall. When Jon came back with her bottle of water, she spotted a familiar figure approaching from behind the benches. Her foggy mind immediately registered Robb stalking over, and in his hand was an opened envelope.

 

Dany heard him call her name, saw his furrowed brow and her letter unfolded in his hands. Her stomach clenched up and her breaths were not coming in fast enough. Everything was spinning again as she realised that Jon was not the only boy to receive their unintended letter.

 

She needed a hole to swallow her up, now. She needed to disappear. This could not be happening. He and Margaery had just broken up. Jon and Ygritte had just broken up. And her secret letters were now in the public domain.

 

“Seven hells,” she moaned to herself.

 

Dany needed a diversion, and she needed it right now.

 

Jon hunched down beside her, his face downcast and apologetic, “If I’d known this is how you’d react I wouldn’t have,-”

 

Before the black spots littered her vision for the second time in minutes, Dany grabbed Jon by the t-shirt collar and pulled him down until her lips collided with his. He let out a yelp and fell onto her with his hands at her sides.

 

When he tried to pull away, Dany held on tighter and pressed her lips against his even more firmly. Keeping her eyes squeezed shut, she counted to five inside her head before she pushed him away. From behind Jon’s bewildered face, she saw Robb standing a few feet away, his face set in a perturbed bewilderment at the scene he had just witnessed.

 

“What – Daenerys, what the hells,-” Jon stared dumbly at her as she jumped up.

 

The adrenaline rushed in, keeping nausea and dizziness at bay, and kick-started her legs into choosing flight over fight. With a swish of her silvery blonde hair, Dany ran back towards the school and away from them. Robb tried to stop her, but she pushed past him before he could say anything.

 

She could not stay there on the track field and wait to see either of their reactions – she needed to put as much distance between herself and the two of them before her mind imploded from what she had just done. Dany pushed opened the empty girl’s bathroom and locked herself in a stall, taking great heaving breaths.

 

The letters were addressed to the five boys, but they were never stamped. More to the point, they resided in a locked jewellery box that was always hidden away in her room. Her privacy had been compromised, but exactly how she could not figure out. No one, at least not until a day or two ago, knew of the letters. Not Val, not Viserys and definitely not Margaery Tyrell.

 

Dany seized up when the bathroom door creaked open and a male voice asked, “Dany? Are you in there?”

 

It was Loras Tyrell, the fourth recipient of her no longer secret letters.

 

“No,” she squeaked and saw the scuff of his boots from under the stall she hid in. Loras slid an envelope with his name and address on the front and Dany picked it up with trembling fingers. She pocketed it, pleading with whatever higher power to make everything disappear.

 

“I thought you would want this back. It seemed rather personal,” he explained and took a step away.

 

With a sigh, Dany opened the stall. At least she did not faint on sight this time. “Loras, I wrote that years ago and it’s silly-,”

 

“I know,” he said with his brown amber eyes sympathetic as a gentle smile graced his features. “I had a great time at Homecoming too ‘cause you were a great dance partner. But,” he paused, eyes shifting away before he slowly asked, “you do know I’m dating Renly though, right?”

 

Dany felt like she walked into a brick wall at this small revelation. She did not, in fact, know this little detail.

 

“Y-yeah, I did,” she lied and Loras’ shoulder sagged with relief.

 

“Just don’t tell anyone, though. I mean, Marge and my grandmother know. My mother and brothers d too, and my father kind of knows. It’s just-,”

 

“It’s okay,” Dany stopped him there, knowing how it felt to be on the cruel end of her peers’ mockery. She understood all too well that the wolves that emblazoned their school’s emblems and sporting jerseys weren’t the only ones around these corridors. He did not have to explain why he was not out to their peers, “It’s just high school, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Loras laughed and leaned back against the wall, looking at ease. “Exactly. I just saw you running in here and thought I’d return your letter. Plus, I won’t tell Marge. Figured you’d want this contained as much as possible.”

 

“Thank you,” she told him and he came over to give her a gentle squeeze on her shoulder.

 

* * *

 

Dany had kept herself together throughout the rest of the day. She went through the motions for the rest of her classes, taking extra care to avoid Ygritte, and went straight home with Nessie before either Jon Snow or Robb could try to confront her again.

 

There was nothing else she could do. The letters were out in the open and her jewellery box was missing after she had turned her room upside down to locate it. The only saving grace so far was that both Drogo and Daario’s letters were returned to sender, as the addresses she had written were incorrect. Letters, humiliation and complicated friendships aside, Dany just hoped she could track down her mother’s missing jewellery box. It was one of the few things she had left asides the memories.

 

Resigned to the unwanted turn her life had taken, Dany was plotting a reclusive life until she spotted Robb walking across her driveway towards the front door. Panicked, she raced down and hurried out of the backdoor before Rhaegar could answer the door to let him in. She grabbed her bicycle before telling Nessie to make up some excuse why she wasn’t home.

 

Dany secured her bicycle to the bench outside and bee-lined to her favourite booth by the jukebox inside the _Dragonstone_ diner. It was only a ten minute ride from home, or about five minutes if she had driven, but circumstances dictated she took the discreet way out.

 

She took large gulps of her cherry coke, still feeling flustered from her dash down to the diner. There were a few patrons littered across the place and the sole waitress on duty was playing sudoku by the counter. She could be left alone here for a little while until the coast was clear at home.

 

“Is this seat taken?”

 

Dany glanced up in surprise. Incredulously, Jon Snow was standing next to her by the booth. She quickly stared back down at her drink, hoping if she ignored him then he would take the hint.

 

But the fates seemed to have it out for her because Jon sat down across from her at the booth anyway, taking her sullen silence as a sign she wanted company. He leaned forward with his elbows on the table, his hands clasped together and his eyes taking in the decor of the place. “Not a bad hiding spot, isn’t it?”

 

“What do you want, Jon Snow?” She asked tiredly. After the day she’s had, she just wanted him to cut to the chase.

 

“I stopped by your place, and your niece told me you would be here,” Jon said simply, not quite answering her question.

 

She mentally kicked herself. She had told Nessie to make an excuse up for _Robb_ , not for anyone else that might be coming by the house looking for her.

 

“Well, make yourself comfortable,” she mumbled as Jon flagged down the waitress at the counter.

 

“Anything for your friend here, Dany girl?”

 

“He’s not with,-”

 

“One large chocolate milkshake, please,” Jon gave the waitress a smile and gestured to Dany’s half empty glass, “did you want anything else?”

 

“I’ll be fine,” she told him.

 

When the waitress walked off, Jon set his eyes on her again. “Look, Daenerys, I appreciate it. I really do,-”

 

Dany felt her eye twitch. Her nerves and fuse were already short, and she could not stop the flow of words that came from her mouth. “Are you trying to reject me again? Look, Jon, I’m _not_ into you. That letter was written years ago, and it shouldn’t have been sent in the first place.”

 

“Well, are you sure?” He asked, eyes narrowing a little, “I’m just making it clear. You say one thing and yet it was _you_ who kissed _me_ back the track.”

 

“That was a diversion.”

 

“From what, exactly?” He asked, still not believing her.

 

“From Robb Stark confronting me about his letter too,” she let out in a huff, having to spell it out for him, “Jon, don’t get too worked up about this. You weren’t the only one to get a letter.”

 

“Wow. Just when you think you’re special,” he murmured to himself and Dany rolled her eyes at this. “So I was a pawn then,” he figured, and this little revelation somehow amused him greatly. “You were using me against my own cousin. That’s quite a move, Targaryen.”

 

Not knowing how to respond to that, Dany took a sip of her drink when the waitress came back with Jon’s milkshake. If that was all he wanted to say, surely he could leave her alone right now.

 

“Is that all you came here to talk about, or is there something else?” She asked impatiently, voicing her thoughts.

 

“Just one more thing,” he said, and that shit-eating grin of his was back, which immediately had her hackles rising in defense, “Robb was dating Margaery Tyrell before she left for California. Aren’t you two friends?”

 

Dany clenched her jaw. Jon had more or less arrived at the crux of her dilemma, and this was something she could not shirk away from. “Well, that’s one awkward talk I’m going to have with Robb sooner or later. I’m not- I don’t have feelings for him, not anymore anyway. But I gotta tell him that, and hopefully Marge won’t-,”

 

“What if you don’t?” He rushed out, leaning even closer towards her with his dark eyes lit up, “What if you _showed_ him you don’t have feelings for him instead? We can pretend to be together until this all blows away.”

 

Jon’s proposition was so ludicrous that she actually laughed. But his face showed he was serious and her laughter died off. Dany wondered just how hard had she hit her head when she fainted earlier. Nothing was making any sense. It was as if all logical thinking had been thrown out of the window. Because Jon Snow, one of the most popular guys in her school, offering to pretend to be her boyfriend so she wouldn’t have to confront Robb about the letter was definitely _not_ logical.

 

She arched a brow and slowly asked, “And why exactly would you do this for me?”

 

“Well, you said so yourself. You used me to hide from Robb, and I need someone to help me get back at Ygritte,” Jon explained with a small shrug, “And she went _nuts_ when she found out we kissed. This would drive her up the wall.”

 

Dany grabbed her bag and placed some bills on the table to pay for her drink. She had heard enough to know that this was something she could not do. Her first, albeit very fake, relationship could not be a stupid guise to get back at Ygritte. It was tempting, given how much Ygritte had tormented her over the years with the rumours and constant malicious digs about her looks or clothes, but she knew she had to walk away from this harebrained scheme.

 

“Wait, Daenerys,” Jon scrambled out of the booth to catch up to her, “At least consider it.”

 

“I’d rather not,” she said and strode towards the door, but Jon easily caught up to her. Curse her stupid, short legs.

 

“Let me give you a lift home, at least. I can even drive around the block a few times until Robb leaves.”

 

He was looking at her so earnestly that she relented, forgetting that Robb was still over at her place probably playing video games with Nessie or chatting to Rhaegar. Jon was quick to smile again as he loaded her bicycle into the back of his Jeep and opened the door for her.

 

“Look, all I’m saying is you used me first,” he said when he got into the driver’s seat, “It’s a symbiotic relationship. Benefits us both for the time being.”

 

“Aren’t there other girls you can date?” Dany asked incredulously, strapping herself in. How did she end up in this situation? “Your plan could still work perfectly fine without me.”

 

“They’re not you,” he told her simply, as if _that_ cleared it all up. “And we would make more sense. Everyone saw that kiss today.”

 

Her mind tried to piece together a retort, but Jon was right. Technically speaking, it _would_ make more sense than if Jon picked another girl as his cover. And it would not be too far of a stretch if she were to pretend to be his girlfriend. Right?

 

True to his word, Jon did a few loops around the surrounding streets before Dany deemed it safe to return. But as Jon pulled up in front of her house, Robb stepped out of her house with Nessie closing the door behind him. He looked at the pair of them inside Jon’s car and gave them a tense nod then quickly turned, not sparing a glance back at either of them as he walked the short distance home. Her eyes trailed after him, and her stomach did that uncomfortable thing where it knotted itself over and over again until Robb slammed his door shut.

 

* * *

 

“Hey Snow!”

 

It was her turn now to march across the field to talk to Jon the following day. At lunch, Dany had ventured into the cafeteria to find him absent from the centre table where he normally sat with Ygritte and their group of friends. He was nowhere to be found, and she did not know any of his friends well enough to ask where he was. And before Dany could search around the school for him, Val had pulled her away down below the bleachers with her contraband Subway sandwiches and sodas.

 

And so, she found herself waiting after school where she knew he would at lacrosse practice. Dany ignored the looks from the other lacrosse jocks as she stalked past them in their practice kits towards the net where Jon was. He tore off his helmet and wiped off sweat from his face as she approached.

 

Dany knew she looked like hell running on less than a couple of hours of sleep. Her hair was not in its usual braid and there were dark circles under her eyes. Nessie had asked her repeatedly this morning if she wanted to do a detour to the hospital to get Rhaegar to give her a check-up. The previous day’s events had cornered her, and Dany knew she had to force herself to act quickly before everything spiralled. After running through all the possible scenarios over and over in her head instead of sleeping, she’d found little alternatives left and had reached a conclusion.

 

“What can I do for you, Targaryen?” He set his lacrosse stick down, grey eyes expectant and the corner of his lips upturned in crooked smile.

 

She wet her lips and took a breath. There was no backing out now.

 

“Let’s do this,” she said quickly, her voice quiet as to not be overheard. There was no backing out now.

 

“You sure?” He asked softly with his gaze searching her face. He was giving her one last chance to change her mind.

 

Dany stood her ground and, trampling down that small voice that told her to flee, nodded resolutely. Jon peered around, eyes probably counting and weighing up the number of witnesses to what he was about to do next. He shucked off his gloves and closed the distance between them. The next moments moved so fast – from the way he cupped her face with his hands, to how he gave her that smirk she become so accustomed to lately, and how he leaned down to _kiss_ her.

 

Dany instinctively closed her eyes and tried not to recoil away in shock. Pushing aside the errant thought that his lips were actually soft, she tried to mimic the movement of Jon’s lips against hers, so it could look more convincing to his probably gawking teammates behind them. But after a quick swipe of his tongue against her bottom lip, the whole thing was over quickly and left her dizzyingly breathless.

 

And just like that, with the deal literally sealed with a kiss, she was now in her first official, albeit fake, relationship with Jon Snow.

 


	2. Honey fingers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thank you once again to my wonderful beta for all the work she did on this chapter. You're an absolute gem [trixareforeveryoneaq](https://trixareforeveryoneaq.tumblr.com).
> 
> Also [gotarcher94](https://gotarcher94.tumblr.com) and [jonerysbitch](https://jonerysbitch.tumblr.com) \- y'all know I still love you both to bits and pieces.

 

  


 

They agreed to meet at the diner after practice was over, and in a semi disassociated state, Dany managed to drop Nessie home and told Rhaegar she’d be back before six for dinner. Her brother’s weekends off from the hospital were rare and few, and she knew just how much he looked forward to spending time with his girls. The heavy emotion she felt hanging over her head at seeing Nessie and Rhaegar in the kitchen preparing an old recipe from her mother’s cookbook only strengthened her resolve to get this over and done with as quickly as possible.  
  
  
Dany arrived at the diner before Jon did. She was, in fact, at least half an hour early because she needed the extra time to sort out her confusing thoughts. Boundaries needed to be set and rules had to be established if this was going to work the way she needed it to. After the waitress brought out her order, Dany grabbed her notebook out from her bag and began sorting things out.  
  
  
She was twirling the ice cubes around the bottom of her empty glass when Jon finally arrived. He spotted her immediately at the booth by the jukebox and walked over with a smile. His hair was not tied up in its usual half bun, and he merely pushed back the strands that fell across his face.

  
“You ordered for me?” Jon’s smile widened as he accepted the chocolate milkshake she pushed towards him. “And you remembered my favourite drink. Impressive work, Targaryen.”  
  
  
“It’s not hard to remember a chocolate milkshake,” she said with a shrug. At least that was one thing she knew about her fake boyfriend.  
  
  
“And I see you drove down here,” he grinned at her, his thumb jutted to where the Honda was parked outside. “I’m impressed. You didn’t run anyone down?”  
  
  
She narrowed her eyes at him, but otherwise ignored that little dig and took a steadying breath to will her racing pulse to settle. This wouldn’t take long. She would be home before six to help, or rather _force_ , Nessie in setting the table for whatever Rhaegar managed to make from their mother’s recipe book.  
  
  
Dany pulled a clean sheet from her notebook, not wanting to waste any more time. “Okay, we’ve got to set some boundaries. We’re going to need some rules about this thing we’re doing,” she explained, and Jon’s expression fell at this. “It’s so we’re both on the same page.”  
  
  
“Relationships don’t need contracts,” he said slowly, brows furrowed. “Is this really needed?”  
  
  
“ _Real_ relationships don’t. But fake ones do,” she told him and wrote ‘ _CONTRACT_ ’ on top of the page to emphasise her point.  
  
  
“Stone cold,” Jon muttered to himself. But he relented, grabbing his own pen from his bag. “Fine. Let’s do this. Name your terms, Targaryen.”  
  
  
Dany already had one planned. In fact, it was the first one she thought of when she walked back to the parking lot after talking to him on the lacrosse field. “No more kissing,” she said with her voice stern. Or as stern as she tried to be.  
  
  
“That’s ridiculous,” he snorted, but after seeing her write down the first rule onto the page, he knew she was serious, “y’know, no one will believe we’re dating if I can’t _kiss_ you.”  
  
  
“Then we need to be extra convincing,” she said, which earned her an eye roll from Jon, “I just want my first kiss to be, well, _meaningful_. When I kiss someone, I want it to be for real and not for pretend.”  
  
  
Jon cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed at her, “Seventh grade, Edd’s birthday party. Didn’t we have our first kiss there?”  
  
  
_We._  
  
  
She tried to move past this little technicality because her stomach did something funny at the reminder that she was his first kiss too. It was a fact better left ignored for this situation.  
  
  
“This is non-negotiable, Jon Snow,” she said firmly and underlined her first rule. They had kissed two times too many already, and Dany was not going to budge from her position. In fact, his little reminder only strengthened her stance on this.  
  
  
“Alright,” he relented and grabbed the contract from her, eyes reading over the first rule with annoyance, “but you gotta think of something else, Targaryen. People are going to talk if I’m not allowed to touch you.”  
  
  
“ _Dany_ ,” she corrected absently.

 Jon cocked a dark brow at her so she quickly explained, “everyone close to me calls me Dany. It’d probably be best if you did too.”

“Good point,” Jon said as he nodded slowly. “I can do that.” 

That done, Dany tapped her pen against the tabletop, her mind working through possible answers to this little conundrum. She did not want to be walking around making out with Jon Snow just so people believed their facade, but doing nothing would also raise questions. Questions that may lead to future confrontations with a certain auburn haired boy next door.  
  
  
“Okay,” she finally said after a solution came to mind, “How about this. You can put your hand in my back pocket.”  
  
  
“My hand in your back pocket?” He asked blankly, the obvious movie reference flying past him.  
  
  
“ _Sixteen Candles?_ ” She prompted, and Jon shook his head. He hadn’t seen the movie, and she wondered what exactly had she signed up for. “It’s in the opening scene. It’s a couple’s thing.”  
  
  
“Alright, alright,” he scribbled a little condition under her first rule and her eyes widened at what he wrote underneath. “So no kissing, but I get to put my hand down your pants.”  
  
  
Dany felt the rush of heat flood her face. “That’s _not_ what I meant-,”  
  
  
“I know,” he held up the modified contract up in front of her with that stupid grin of his, “but it’s in the contract now. That means it’s _binding_ .”  
  
  
Dany snatched back the piece of paper with a scowl before Jon could write anything else down. “Okay, I’m adding two more then,” she had to pivot the situation, and quickly. It was heading down a path she wanted to absolutely avoid at all cost. “We’re watching _Sixteen Candles_ and,” she said looking up at him, “we can never tell anyone about this arrangement. The humiliation would be too much for either of us.”  
  
  
“Yeah,” he agreed, as if that went without saying. “First rule of _Fight Club_. You don’t talk about it.”  
  
  
“ _Fight Club?_ ” she asked, the reference vague in her mind. Rhaegar and Viserys had the movie somewhere in their collection, but she was always upstairs with Nessie watching a Disney original.  
  
  
“You’ve seen that... _Candles_ movie, but not _Fight Club_ ?” Jon asked, looking so insulted that it made her quietly pleased.  
  
  
Dany shook her head, fighting the urge to smile.  
  
  
“Write this down, then,” he said, tapping the notebook. “We’re doing a double feature. That _Candles_ movie, then _Fight Club_.”  
  
  
“Deal,” she agreed, writing down the new rules. She would worry about that double feature later when, or if, it came around.  
  
  
Her earlier anxieties about this arrangement ebbed as she read over what they had agreed upon. Sure, Jon was being an ass with that little loophole he had scribbled underneath her ‘ _No kissing_ ’ rule, but he respected her wishes and her need for boundaries. And everything else was very manageable so far.  
  
  
Until Jon proposed the next rule.  
  
  
“You’ve got to come to my lacrosse games and parties. I’ll give you one of my jerseys to wear as well for the games.”  
  
  
Dany wanted to protest this, especially the parties. She wasn’t the partying type of person and spending the evening at a place surrounded by people she wasn't friends with, which would force her to keep close to Jon, did not sound like what she would call a good time. But another thought came to mind. Or rather, an impish little voice. “Well, if that’s the case, you can drive my niece and me to school every day.”  
  
  
“That can be easily arranged,” he said with a dismissive wave before smirking at her. ”I can’t have my girlfriend running over people.”  
  
  
“ _Fake_ girlfriend,” she corrected him, her jaw clenching at the jab. The little turn of phrases here and there were dangerous.  
  
  
He ignored the correction as he contemplated something then quietly offered another rule. “I could also write you a note every day.” There was a softness in his granite eyes that stirred something in her chest. A soft elation bloomed there where her anxieties had been just moments ago.  
  
  
“You’ll do that?” Given what had transpired in the past forty-eight hours, few things could shock her anymore. But this did. Jon Snow, the popular and well-liked lacrosse jock, was offering to write her a note every day?  
  
  
“Sure,” he smiled which caused that pocket of warmth to spread. But it evaporated when he said, “Ygritte used to annoy me to write her one every day, but I never did. So if I do them for you, it’ll piss her off.”  
  
  
Dany felt her mouth open slightly as she stared at him, her mind scrambling for a response. “ _How romantic_ ,” she finally mumbled with sickly sweet sarcasm.  
  
  
Jon almost allowed her to forget why they were doing this. But here was the reminder. This whole thing was to make Ygritte jealous and to show Robb she wasn’t in love with him. She needed to remember that anything sweet he did was all for show.  
  
  
Ignoring her snark, Jon grabbed the contract after she finished writing down the rules they had discussed. “I forgot one more thing. We’re going to the ski trip together.”  
  
  
This made Dany pause, and Jon held off writing down this rule at the look on her face. “That’s in three month’s time,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. She’s heard stories about the infamous Winterfell High ski trip. It was a known location where more students have lost their virginity than Senior Week _and_ Prom combined. “Will we be still being doing this by December?”  
  
  
“It’s a contingency term. If we’re still together by December, then we’re going on that trip. No one in their right mind lets their girlfriend or boyfriend go on the ski trip alone.”  
  
  
_Three months.  
_

It was still a while away, and a lot could happen between now and then. The past forty-eight hours had been more eventful than the past two years of high school. It was highly probable that by December, she and Jon Snow would be over. In fact, she was sure of it.  
  
  
“Okay,” she finally agreed and Jon wrote ‘ _SKI TRIP_ ’ onto the page.  
  
  
With the contract finally drawn and rules agreed upon, Dany and Jon both signed their names at the bottom of the page and dated it. She offered him her hand to shake and he stared at it before he rolled his eyes at this formality. Nevertheless, he clasped her hand in his much larger one and shook on it.  
  
  
There was definitely no going back now.

 

* * *

 

Dany spent the rest of the weekend quietly dreading Monday morning. Even the trip down to the farmer markets with Rhaegar and Nessie for some honey finger pastries could not appease her quiet anxiety. Rhaegar, with those perceptive indigo eyes, noticed the shift in her mood but pinned it down to Viserys’ absence and the start of the school year.

 

“We’ve booked his ticket home for Christmas,” her brother told her at dinner on Saturday night. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder gently, reassuringly, but Dany only felt guilt twist in her stomach. “C’mon, we’ll video chat with him next weekend. Let’s just give him time to settle. You know how he is.”

 

Dany gave her brother’s hand a squeeze and a grateful smile. Not having Viserys around was hard, but not impossible. She missed his sarcastic quips and his quiet presence but was glad he was not around to witness the web she found herself entangled in. What would he say to the fact his sister was trapped in a messy sort of love triangle with his best friend and the lacrosse jock?

 

_And Margaery?_

 

 _No_.

 

Dany shoved that can of worms away before she dwelled on it too long. This whole fiasco would be over and forgotten by the time Marge came home for Christmas. Loras even promised to keep this a secret from his sister for her.

 

Nessie, however, was not fooled. All weekend, Dany skirted around questions about Jon and why she had to race down to the lacrosse field on Friday afternoon. How much had Nessie seen from the car? Dany thought they were well out of view from the parking lot, but she wasn’t so sure with all these incessant questions.

 

When Monday morning finally came, Nessie was the first one out of the door with her breakfast in a paper bag. Dany finished the final touches to her braids, grabbed her bag and headed downstairs to where Nessie was impatiently waiting outside for her. She fished for the keys to the Honda but halted when she saw Jon’s silhouette from behind the front door.

 

“Dany, our ride’s here!” Nessie called, her voice a happy sing-song. Dany heard the distinct rumble of Jon’s quiet laughter at this proclamation.

 

“Mornin’,” Jon greeted her as she opened the door. Without waiting for a reply, he reached for her bag and slung it over his shoulder. He didn’t seem bothered with how heavy it was and simply adjusted the straps to accommodate his shoulder. “You ready to go?”

 

“You’re early,” she remarked, stumped at the fact he even showed up at all. Jon lived across town from them, not far from where the Tyrells lived, and she was not expecting him to fulfill this rule in the contract at all. But he was serious about it, it seemed, which meant she had to fulfill her end of the bargain when the occasion arises.

 

 _I’ll cross that bridge when it comes to it_.

 

“Traffic’s not bad if you leave early enough,” he said simply and ruffled Nessie’s unkempt hair. Her niece was actually staring up at Jon with a grin on her face.

 

 _Traitor_.

 

“Reckon we can beat Bran to school?” Nessie pointed to the empty driveway next door. “Robb’s taken them already. But Dany’s a slowpoke this morning. She was too busy doing her hair.”

 

“I think I know a shortcut,” Jon told her, reaching down to grab her bag as well. “C’mon, mini-Dany, let’s get going and beat those Starks.”

 

Nessie practically _skipped_ across the road to the Jeep when Jon unlocked it for her, leaving Dany and Jon behind at the front steps of the house so they could lock up. Dany noticed there wasn’t a helmet atop Nessie’s head, and wondered briefly why she looked so damn _smug_ about this whole thing. Sure, Nessie enjoyed the car trips with Robb, Bran, and Sansa but she was almost _shaking_ with excitement around Jon.

 

“Did you have to wait long?” she asked him as they crossed over to his car after the house was secured. Dany glanced over her shoulder to give the house a final check, but her eyes caught a figure watching her and Jon from the Stark’s front windows. Robb quickly shut the curtains, his face set in a scowl before he turned away from them. She thought he had left for school already, seeing as the black truck was missing from the driveway.

 

It was as if Jon sensed her uneasiness because he took her hand into his, startling her back to the present. She could only blink, looking down at their intertwined fingers. His hand felt course, probably from years of lacrosse, but this felt... _nice_ , nonetheless.

 

“Not really. I don’t mind my girl prettying herself up for me,” he told her, giving her that stupid smirk that she, admittedly, was getting all too used to from the past two days.

 

“I was not-,” she started, but her protest died off when Jon pulled her hand up his lips and gave it a quick peck, winking at her as he did so. From the backseat, Nessie feigned a gagging motion as she watched the entire interaction. There was no need to pretend with only Nessie around, but Jon Snow seemed like he did not do things in half measures. It was all or nothing for him, it seemed, as he opened her door for her to climb in.

 

“Accept the compliment,” he said, voice bright. “C’mon, let’s take your mini-me to school.”

 

“My name’s _Rhaenys_ Targaryen, not mini-Dany,” Nessie called out from the back seat as Jon shut her door behind her then climbed into his seat, “but my friends call me Nessie. _You_ can call me Rhaenys.”

 

“She’s feisty,” Jon whispered amusedly to Dany before turning to her niece. “Okay, _Rhaenys_ , what’s that you got there?” He asked, reaching back and grabbing hold of the paper bag of honey fingers in Nessie’s hands, examining it.

 

Dany winced a little. Jon’s Jeep was his pride and joy considering the majority of his Instagram photos consisted of car pictures. But to her surprise, Jon tore off a small chunk of the pastry and popped it into his mouth. He even _moaned_ as he licked the bits of honey off his fingers, unperturbed by the crumbs on his lap, “Seven _hells_ , what is this?”

 

“Honey fingers,” Nessie explained, lunging forward and snatching her pastry back before Jon could eat any more. “My grandmama used to make them all the time. But we get them now from the farmer’s market.”

 

“Well, just so you know,” Jon said, turning back in his seat again, “if you’ve got food in my car, you’ve got to share with everyone. And by everyone, I mean me. So I expect one of those honey fingers from now on.”

 

“ _From now on_? As in, _you’re_ driving us to school repeatedly?” Nessie exclaimed, eyes wide and looking at Dany for confirmation. She could only nod, and Nessie fist pumped the air.

 

“Yep,” Jon gave her a small wink before turning back. There was that shit eating grin that Dany decided she had best start to learn to ignore. As she buckled her seat belt, she could almost hear the cogs in Nessie’s head working away to fit the pieces together.

 

“Wait, does this mean you’re Dany’s _boyfriend_?” Nessie blurted out, which only caused Jon to laugh. He reached out for Dany’s hand with his larger one, and used their intertwined fingers to shift gears as he pulled away from the curb.

 

“I guess I am,” he answered, not moving his hand away from hers on the gear shift. “And boyfriends take their girlfriends to school, as well as their dark-haired mini-me’s.”

 

“Well, then, if that’s the case then you can call me Nessie,” her niece decreed from the back seat.

 

“Progress,” Jon teased as they drove off. He had sweet-talked Nessie onto his side already, and it was barely eight in the morning. But she found their interactions all too endearing to pull the brakes. There was no harm, right?

 

Dany just hoped Nessie didn’t get too attached to him before this all inevitably ended.

 

* * *

 

It was almost as if every head turned at the sight of her and Jon Snow walking together down the corridor towards her locker. He was still carrying her bag which he’d all but demanded to do for her in the parking lot when they’d arrived, despite her protest. And in accordance to the loophole she allowed in their contract, they were walking side-by-side with his hand reached across inside the back pocket of her jeans.

 

It was definitely a change from blending in with the dull grey walls and lockers, but she wasn’t sure if it was a welcomed one. It was weird, and admittedly, a little off-putting, for being noticed for having a back pocket for Jon to stick his hand into. This was all part of the deal, she knew, the extra attention that came with fake dating Jon Snow. But she still had to fight against the constant urge to bolt from his side in order to get the stares off of her.

 

Jon however, seemed unphased by all this attention. He strode down the corridor with her as if it were another school day and it was perfectly normal for them to be walking together with his hands down her ass pocket. When they arrived at her locker, Dany spotted Ygritte not too far away. She was talking to Gilly, one of the rare few from Ygritte’s inner circle that didn’t participate in Ygritte’s tormenting of her, but stopped abruptly at seeing her and Jon. Mouth opened, gaping almost like a fish, she just stared at the two of them with absolute disbelief.

 

Jon knew _exactly_ what he was doing. In fact, this entire thing was coordinated just so Ygritte could see because in the next moment, Jon removed his hand from her pocket and twirled her around at the hip towards him. Dany felt her heart leap into her throat at this little flourish he did, and wondered if he could _hear_ just how hard it was beating. There was barely any space between them, and his gaze was so genuinely sweet, with just enough softness, that an unexpected warmth bloomed in her chest. Without removing his gaze from hers, Jon pulled out a folded piece of paper with her name written on it and tucked it inside her back pocket.

 

“I’ve got to help coach today at lunch,” he told her, gently pushing away a loose lock of hair from her face that fell out from her braid due to the twirl. Jon leaned in even closer and she felt his stubble tickling the side of her face as he whispered, “Good job, by the way. I’ll see you after school, okay?”

 

Dany could only nod as Jon walked away. He didn’t even spare a glance over to Ygritte, who had watched the entire display and was positively _seething_ at them, and headed off to his first class.

 

Closing her locker after she deposited her textbooks, Dany tried to retreat off to class before an arm pulled her away into a small nook between the lockers. Val had intercepted her, a cheshire smile gracing her features.

 

“ _Well, well, well_ , I had no idea you and Lord Commander Lacrosse were a thing,” Val said, her face lit up with excitement with a look of pure mischief in her eyes. For a fleeting second, Dany was expecting her best friend to confront her over the fact that she had not been told about this seemingly new relationship with Jon. But Val, in her usual fashion, was not phased by it at all. In fact, she seemed absolutely _elated_ by the discovery. “I can practically smell the witchcraft, Dany girl. I should’ve sensed the disturbance in the universe this undoubtedly created.”

 

“It’s still new,” Dany offered weakly, her voice failing to match Val’s fever pitch of excitement. How did people normally respond to new relationships? She couldn’t find it within herself to put on a giddy front because Val would immediately pick up on the lie. But she couldn’t just stare solemnly at her friend, either. So, she did the next best thing and told the truth.

 

“I didn’t—, well, it just _happened_ , I guess. I’m just as shocked as you are,” she shrugged helplessly.

 

Well, at least _some_ of the truth.

 

Val only gave her a knowing look, her eyebrows raised suggestively.

 

“This will mess up Ygritte _big time_ ,” her friend stated happily. She then looped her arm through Dany’s as they made their way to first period.

 

Dany supposed the revenge agenda that this relationship with Jon was what had Val entirely on board. And if she was honest with herself, that had her a little excited too.

 

* * *

 

It had been an entire week since they made their debut as a couple at school, or as Nessie dubbed it, a week since her life expectancy no longer dropped. Dany, in her lack of foresight and general relationship experience, didn’t account for the massive upheaval to her daily routine that dating someone like Jon Snow would bring about. Her lunches were no longer spent with Robb on the bleachers and people were no longer treating her as a background character in her own life.

 

She occasionally spent her lunch in the cafeteria with Jon, but rather than sitting with his lacrosse buddies as she expected, they often ate their lunches together with Samwell, Grenn, Pyp and Edd. They were the same group of friends Jon had since elementary school, which was a pleasant surprise. These guys weren’t intimidating like the jocks were, and she got along quite well with Samwell’s girlfriend, Gilly, when she sat away from Ygritte. And when Jon had something going on, whether it be lacrosse training or something he had to chase up at the school’s front office, she would be stolen away by Val to eat contraband Subway sandwiches by the track.

 

But on Friday night as Dany prepared the ingredients to make cupcakes for the bake sale at Nessie’s middle school, Jon Snow decided that _they_ had other plans. In fact, he came by her house to collect on a rule that she had agreed to in the contract. Nessie, being the little traitor that she was, invited him inside before Dany could disappear from the kitchen.

 

“It’s in the contract,” he told her, keeping his voice low with Rhaegar and Nessie behind them in the kitchen measuring out flour and sugar. “Everyone’s going tonight. You’ve got to come with me, especially since Ygritte’s there.”

 

“I’m not going,” she hissed back, but Jon pulled up a photo of the contract from his phone. He zoomed in on the fourth term and it held it up for her.

 

“See? It’s _binding_ , Targaryen.”

 

Dany was going to argue back, but she had nothing. Jon was right, and it was only fair she went since he’d abided by every other rule she imposed on him.

 

“ _Fine_.” She unclasped her apron, balled it up, and threw it at his face before heading up to her room to change. Jon clenched his jaw, and she heard him mutter something under his breath but did not quite catch it.

 

She stared at her wardrobe for a moment, a little lost as to what to wear to the party. Jon seemed dressed casually enough in jeans and a dark button-up, but there was always a different set of rules for guys when it came to these things. Finally deciding, Dany quickly changed into a violet long sleeve chiffon blouse and a black skirt that fell a few inches above her knee. She stared at her makeup bag before deciding she might as well go all the way. She put a small amount of black eyeliner and a touch of gold shimmer eyeshadow then topped it with mascara. After a light swipe of blush on her cheeks, she deemed herself acceptable.

 

When she returned downstairs, she found Jon sitting at the kitchen table top with her little family. He was helping Nessie measure out some icing sugar while Rhaegar was mixing the batter. She observed the scene for just a moment longer before making her presence known. Nessie and Jon got along like two peas in a pod, which didn’t surprise Dany as Jon was a jock after all, but the old familiarity that Rhaegar regarded Jon with came as a surprise.

 

Jon spotted her by the doorway and set down the measuring cup. There was something heated in his gaze as he looked her over, but it was only there for a second before he turned away. “I’ll bring her back before curfew, Dr. Targaryen.”

 

“Just call me Rhaegar,” her brother dismissed the formal title and handed Jon a dish towel to wipe his hands on. “You kids have fun. And remember,” Rhaegar’s gaze turned serious as his eyes found Jon. “No drinking, no drugs and _no_ _hands_ ,” he deadpanned and Dany could have died of embarrassment. Nessie made a gagging sound, while Jon threw up said hands good humoredly.

 

“Scout’s honour, sir.” He promised, and before Rhaegar could make another remark, Dany grabbed a hold of Jon’s hand and dragged him out of there. She knew Rhaegar did that in part to embarrass her, but as laid back as he usually was, her brother was also capable of rousing the dragon within.

 

* * *

 

She could hear the party thrumming at the back of the house, but the bass from the speakers could not drown out the sound of her racing heart in her ears. Before they could go any further inside, Dany stopped Jon at the entrance as her nerves pulled up the emergency brakes.

 

Parties weren’t her thing. Obviously, with Ygritte around, she’s never been to one of these lacrosse parties and had absolutely no idea what to do or who to talk to asides Jon. Did she have to drink? Did she have to sit with the girls and _try_ to fit in after all those snide comments over the years? In fact, who was the host? She didn’t even know whose house she was in.

 

The only parties she attended were the small gatherings that Margaery hosted when her parents were out of town on business. It was mostly the two couples plus Dany, and on the rare occasion, Val. There they played board games that often ended with her and Robb fighting to the bitter end in Monopoly, or Viserys making a fool of himself in _Never Have I Ever_. On the few occasions where Robb had to bring along Sansa, who was a few years too young to participate in their festivities, Margaery would break out the face masks and manicure sets as they chased the boys with waxing strips and nail polish.

 

“Okay, game plan,” Jon said glancing around, but stopped when she reached up to redo her hair. Jon gave her a perplexed look as she smoothed her hair to try and coax it back into a neat ponytail, before grabbing the scrunchie out of her hands.

 

“What are you—” she started, but Jon slipped the scrunchie onto his wrist.

 

“I’m keeping this. I like it when your hair is down,” he told her, pulling out his phone. “You look even prettier than usual. Here, lemme show you.”

 

Fighting the blush that tried to take over her face at the compliment, Dany instinctively pulled a face as Jon snapped a photo of her. He examined it and then showed her it, looking oddly smug as if he’d proved his point.

 

“Fine,” she settled, not bothering to argue with him on such a small issue, “but you can’t lose that. It’s my favourite scrunchie.”

 

Jon snapped the scrunchie against his wrist, reassuring her that it wasn’t going anywhere. “I won’t. Now pass over your phone.”

 

“Why?” she asked tartly, her nerves wearing down on her patience for this whole thing.

 

“Don’t you trust me?” Jon gave her a pointed look. Sighing, she reached inside her clutch and handed over her phone for him. He opened the camera app, pulled a face imitating the puppy dog look and took a photo. “Alright,” he said, handing back her phone, “you need to make this your background. It’s relationship one-oh-one.”

 

“And what’s _your_ new background?”

 

He looked affronted by her question. “Dany, c’mon, you know I already got it.” He pulled out his phone to show her the lock screen, which was a picture of her he had taken just a moment ago.

 

_Checkmate, Targaryen._

 

“C’mon,” he held out his hand for her, “Let’s go. I’ll be right there with you.”

 

After a moment’s hesitation, Dany took his hand and he pulled her close, almost flush against his side. As they entered the party, she felt those nerves fizzle down quietly as Jon gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She did not know how exactly this fitted into their game of charades, but it was fast becoming their thing.

 

It was one squeeze for _“are you okay?”_

 

A second for _“I’ll be okay.”_

 

And then a third squeeze. She tried not to ponder what the third one meant. It was best not to, she figured.

 

Around the party, Dany spotted a few familiar faces, but none were willing to stop by to chat. While Jon got pulled off to a game of beer pong by Ramsay Bolton, a familiar voice beckoned her to sit with them on the couch. It was Gilly, and to her complete and utter dismay, Ygritte was also sitting next to her.

 

Seeing the slight grimace on her face, Jon followed her eyes and upon seeing what the cause was, turned back to her with an expression filled with apologetic sympathy. “I’ll be back in a few, okay?” He whispered as he gave her hand another reassuring squeeze. “I just need to catch up with a few guys. I’ll get us some drinks in a bit as well.”

 

She nodded and left before she was dragged along by Ramsay to the beer pong game. Gilly shuffled over to make some room for her on the couch while Ygritte eyed her with thinly veiled contempt.

 

_Straight into the lion’s den._

 

Dany tried to make herself as small as possible when she took a seat across from the two girls. Gilly, who was basically Switzerland in choosing one girl over the other, tried to include her in conversation but Ygritte was having none of it.

 

“So, Dany,” Gilly set her drink down, finally able to speak to her as the redhead had gotten up to grab herself a drink. “You and Jon. How did that actually happen? _Spill_ , ‘cause Jon isn’t the type to kiss and tell. And I’ve been dying to know.”

 

Before Dany could formulate an answer, Ygritte came back and plopped herself down. She interjected herself, obviously catching the last bits of Gilly’s question, and rolled her eyes dismissively. “Oh no, Gilly, don’t ask her too many questions. She’s _shy_ , remember?”

 

Agitated, Dany sat up a little straighter in the seat. “Well, what did you want to know?”

 

Myranda, a member of Ygritte’s inner circle, joined in on the conversation as she sat down next to Gilly. Dany felt like Ygritte was able to summon her friends almost at will to flock down whenever she was in a tormenting mood.

 

“ _Everything,”_ the brunette said, sharing a look with Ygritte. Dany could almost see the brainwaves they sent to one another, communicating their pack-like approach for attack. Gilly just sipped at her drink, unwilling to get involved. “H on B? H on C? _H up and down on P_ ?” Myranda asked, knowing Dany understood exactly _nothing_ that she just said.

 

Ygritte, seizing on Dany’s blank expression, pounced. “Forget it. They obviously haven’t done anything,” she took a sip of her drink, taking her time to place it carefully onto the table between them. “I mean, look at poor Daenerys. She looks like a deer caught in headlights.”

 

Dany bit her lip before retaliating. She’d dealt with worse before. “And how exactly do you know this, Ygritte?”

 

Ygritte gave her a dismissive look, her mouth set in a thin sneer. “Because I know Jon. And I know Daenerys Targaryen.” At this, she and Myranda stood up with their cups in hand, looking rather pleased with themselves having emerged the victors from this round. “We’re getting refills. Did you want anything, Daenerys? A juice box, or maybe some chocolate milk?”

 

The girls sniggered and Dany just shook her head. With a mock politeness, she told them, “ _Jon’s_ just getting me something. But thank you for offering.”

 

After they had left, Dany felt herself retreat even further into herself as she tried to steady her breathing. Ygritte’s words swirled around in her head and she couldn’t help analysing it over and over, trying to dissect and gleam what Ygritte meant with those insinuations. It wasn’t like she had ever kept tabs on Jon and Ygritte’s relationship before because, up until a week and a half ago, she could not bring herself to care any less about them. But now, sitting here as Jon’s _fake_ girlfriend, Dany wondered how much the physical stuff mattered. A small, but rational, voice told her that this entire relationship was a charade anyway so it hardly mattered what they did. Especially since she had firmly told him _no kissing._

 

_Didn’t I want that?_

 

But in spite of this, Dany could not help that feeling of inadequacy clawing at her skin.

 

“Don’t mind her,” Gilly offered a small comforting smile, her soft spoken voice gently drawing Dany out of her thoughts. “She’s just angry that Jon didn’t come running back. That’s all. I’m sorry she’s taking it out on you.”

 

“It’s okay,” Dany said with a controlled smile. “My skin’s like Teflon at this point, Gilly.”

 

The other girl chuckled. “That’s good because I know she’s also outrageously pissed at how you look even _more_ gorgeous than usual tonight.”

 

“I… highly doubt that,” she replied, dropping her eyes as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. No, Ygritte was probably pissed that Jon didn’t even spare a glance her way or was at her beck and call like he usually was. And while she was somewhat sure that Gilly wasn’t lying to her, Dany didn’t really believe her.

 

Ygritte had basically destroyed her self confidence before she ever really got it with the albino rumour and ever since, she’d not been able to build it back up. When she looked in the mirror, she saw a girl with hair and skin that was too pale, whose round face made her look like a thirteen year old. Val had once told her that she had elven features, yet Dany felt they were more akin to one of those creepy, old fashioned porcelain dolls. Her lips were nice, she supposed. They were full and pouty. While she didn’t hate her looks, the only feature Dany had that she considered striking were her violet eyes.

 

Before she was able to sink back into her insecurities and Gilly was able to say anything more, Jon arrived back at the couch with their drinks. She felt that bit of amazement again as Jon slid next to her and handed her a cup. Had he been keeping an eye on her this entire time? How else would he know to come over almost immediately after Ygritte left?

 

“Everything okay?” He asked with a quiet concern. She could only nod, and he gave her an apologetic look. “I tried to be quick. You know how Bolton can be.”

 

She didn’t want to rehash the entire conversation she just had with Ygritte, so she took a sip of her drink instead. Almost immediately, Dany had to stop herself from spitting up the unfamiliar vinegary liquid, “Jon, I didn’t know the punch was made with pickle brine.”

 

“Oh,” he swapped their cups around, looking quite amused at his mix up. “It’s not. Kombucha is, though.”

 

_Kombucha?_

 

“No drinking, remember?” Jon reminded her with a chuckle after seeing the look of incredulity on her face. “It was the only drink there that didn’t have alcohol. Plus, I heard it’s good for your digestion.”

 

Dany took a tentative sip of her punch, and still sensing her retreat into her shell after her encounter with Ygritte, Jon pulled out his phone and scooted a little closer to her. “C’mon, let’s take a picture together.”

 

She set her drink down and leaned in towards Jon so they could fit in the frame. Right before he clicked the shutter button, a small idea came to her and Dany turned to give him a peck on his cheek just as he took the photo. His entire face lit up as he turned to her, his dark eyes warm with a delicate emotion that Dany would rather not name. He looked like he wanted to say something, but she struck another pose for the camera to stop him before he did. Jon turned back, facing the camera again, and they posed for another photo.

 

* * *

 

Jon only left her side once more that night, but not without ensuring she had Loras Tyrell and Gilly to keep her company. He went to use the bathroom and, given how long he was gone, bumped into a friend or teammate on his way down. Whatever it was that stalled him left him agitated when he came back with their coats.

 

He grabbed her by the hand and led them out of the party, and Dany was all too happy to follow. Outside in the crisp night air, she felt like she could breathe again without the suffocating constrictions of small talk and having to always keep an eye out for Ygritte and her friends. Gilly and Loras were nice enough, keeping her company, but the three of them had little in common and discussion was kept to questions about how school was treating them so far.

 

They made a pit stop at the _Dragonstone_ diner after Jon heard her stomach rumble. “It’ll be rude of me not to feed my girl,” he said, waving off her concerns that a stop for food would add more time to his already long drive home.

 

Inside the diner, Jon leaned back into the booth after devouring his food in quick successive bites. Seeing how hungry he was still, Dany offered him some of her fries which he accepted happily. “You know,” he said between bites, “you did amazing tonight. Ygritte looked _pissed_.”

 

“I just hope she doesn’t put glass in my smoothie on Monday,” Dany said with a slight grimace, soaking up some sauce off her plate with fries.

 

Jon just shook his head, letting out a small snort of laughter through his nose, “I love how you’re not afraid of her.”

 

“Oh, no,” Dany wiped her hands off a napkin and pushed the rest of her fries towards him. “I’m _positively_ terrified of her.”

 

“But you don’t let her walk all over you,” Jon told her, leaning forward. “Remember when she was being a complete bitch about your boots?”

 

“You remember that?”

 

Jon nodded. “Of course. You looked amazing. _Hot_ , actually,” he said simply, brushing the crumbs off his shirt. “I couldn’t say anything at the time ‘cause, y’know, I was still with Ygritte and everything. But to me, even though Ygritte’s good looking, you are… a whole other ball park. And you have way better style...” His words trailed off after that and he suddenly pursed his lips, as if trying to stop himself from saying anything more. He looked over her and just like back at the house, Dany noticing the way his eyes seemed to darken for a brief moment before he blinked and they were back to normal.

 

She didn’t know how to respond to this. It was all supposed to be for pretend, and yet, all these small things that Jon would do or say made it feel more than just two people playing at charades. The looks definitely weren’t helping either.

 

Needing to get away, Dany stood up and grabbed her coat after the waitress took away their plates, but Jon didn’t move in his seat as he glanced down at his phone. Dany had noticed it had been vibrating with alerts since they left the party, but Jon barely paid it any attention.

 

He flicked through his notifications, his face set in a scowl, and then just shoved it back into his pocket. Dany didn’t want to pry, but he looked up her with a half defeated expression. “She just… she just makes me feel so _angry_ , sometimes,” he started, running a hand through his hair. He sounded tired, defeated, even. She’d never heard him like that, always so sure of himself, and for some reason, she didn’t like it. “She wants nothing to do with me at the party, but the moment I leave, she blows up my phone with messages.”

 

“Well, have you been responding?” She asked, trying not to sound unduly curious. Dany tried to keep her tone neutral, but was finding it hard to.

 

“I’ll just call her when I get home,” he replied, staring down the table.

 

There it was, that green-eyed monster. It was irrational, she knew, but she could not stop the words coming out of her mouth. “You guys still talk on the phone?”

 

Jon shrugged, not picking up on her tone. “Not as much as we used to. Just every now and then.”

 

_Just every now and then._

 

After all, this whole thing was a charade. It was for pretend to help him get back with _Ygritte_. To make _Ygritte_ sufficiently jealous enough to want to get back with him. They were each other’s pawns in their own games.

 

Jon let out an exasperated sigh and looked up at her with an annoyed expression. “Out with it, Targaryen.”

 

“Out with _what?_ ”

 

“You’re judging me. You’ve got this whole, I don’t know, _judgey_ face going on. What is it?”

 

He wanted her to bite, so bite she did. “I just think it’s really strange that you still talk to your ex-girlfriend, that’s all. It’s not healthy.”

 

Jon clenched his jaw. “And _you’re_ suddenly the relationship expert here? You’ve never had a boyfriend before me.”

 

She sat back down, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she scoffed at him. “Jon, you’ve had exactly _one_ girlfriend before me. It’s not like _you’re_ an expert either. And you’re obsessed with her.”

 

“I’m _not_ obsessed with her,” he refuted quickly, his jaw still clenched.

 

“Prove it,” she dared him, “don’t call her tonight.”

 

“Done,” he pulled out his phone and cleared all the notifications from Ygritte without even looking at the contents of the messages. “You know, Dany, for someone who’s so quiet, you sure have a ton of opinions.”

 

This didn’t even make her flinch. “I think that’s because no one has been honest with you before, Jon.”

 

“Okay, fine,” his eyes narrowed a little, “then be honest with me. Why haven’t you had a boyfriend before?”

 

His eyes bore into hers, daring her to answer his question. She couldn’t falter now, so she told him simply, “I don’t think anyone’s liked me enough before.”

 

“Lies. You’ve not heard what’s been said about you in the guy’s locker rooms. _And_ I know for a fact that Garland Tyrell asked you out to Spring formal in freshman year,” Jon sat back in his seat, his gaze still heavy on her. “He was even practicing his little speech in the locker rooms. He was a senior and captain of the track team. But you still turned him down. Why?”

 

“Are you keeping tabs on me?” she deflected.

 

“Come on, Dany. Just talk to me,” he pleaded. “We can pretend with anyone else but not here, not with us. _Fight Club,_ remember?”

 

She looked down at his hands, his beseeching gaze too much for her. She knew exactly why she turned down Garland in freshman year, just as she turned down the other two seniors who asked her in sophmore year. “Love and dating,” she started, tucking away some loose hair behind her ear, “it’s good to read about. It’s fun to write about. But when it comes to the real thing….” her words trailed off, unable to explain her emotions.

 

“It’s scary?” Jon prompted. When she nodded, he asked, “Why? Why is it scary?”

 

“The more people you let into your life, then the more that can just walk out,” she admitted in a voice barely above a whisper, perhaps for the first time aloud and to someone. Margaery had probed a few times, especially after she turned down her older brother to the dance, but Dany could not articulate it aloud back then. She was afraid to, scared that people would see her as less than for feeling and thinking this way. But after Elia’s death in childbirth and then her own mother’s a few years later, Dany did not know how much more her heart could take. And before all of this, her father had left the family before she was even born. All she was left with were hidden photos of a man that Rhaegar and Viserys refused to even acknowledge.

 

“Just like your family, right?” He asked, voice soft as he reached over to give her hand a squeeze. Dany didn’t know whether or not to squeeze back, so he let go and continued. “My—, well, my dad left us as well, did you know?”

 

She’d heard about it. In fact, it was Robb who told her that his uncle left his Aunt Lyanna back in the summer before sixth grade. It was the same summer when her mother died, and she was left alone without her best friend next door as the Starks dealt with the aftermath of it all. “That was a few summer’s ago, wasn’t it?”

 

Jon nodded, exhaling a breath. “I’m fine, honestly. I just thought you’d understand with your mother and all. I mean, not that it’s _anything_ similar ‘cause, he’s not, y’know, I —”

 

Before Jon could work himself up too much, Dany reached out and stilled his hands. “It’s okay. I completely understand.”

 

“It’s whatever,” he shrugged.

 

“It’s not whatever, Jon. We don’t need to talk about it, but it’s not whatever.”

 

He pivoted, changing the subject. “I think it’s strange, y’know, because you just said you’re scared of commitment and relationships. But you’re not scared with me.”

 

“Well, there’s nothing to be scared of. We’re just pretending, Jon.”

 

She saw what she could have sworn was hurt flash across his face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. Jon steeled his expression.

 

“Right,” he said, shooting her a mirthless smirk. “I can always count on Daenerys Targaryen to be honest.” With that, he grabbed his coat and exited the booth with their bill.

 

“Jon,” she called, making him look down at her before he went up to the register. “I didn’t mean— I just—” she scrambled before she gave him a look she knew was equal parts confusion and desperation. “We’re cool… right?”

 

“Yeah, we’re fine, Targaryen,” he replied quietly. “Thank you for coming to the party with me.” And with that, he turned away to go pay for their food.

 

Dany watched him as he walked to the front. She felt like she’d ruined the night with her words, but if not for these reminders, then they were just hurtling down a path that led towards even more pain later on.

 

After Jon paid, they walked wordlessly back to his Jeep and he drove her the short distance home. Dany fiddled with the hem of her skirt as her thoughts rang loudly, urging her to somehow muster the right words to fix this - to fix whatever it is that suddenly sprung up between them after her reminder. But she couldn’t. As callous as her words were, it was still the truth nonetheless.

 

When Jon pulled up in front of the house, Dany half expected him to just unlock the doors and wait for her to just go. Except, he didn’t. Jon got out and opened the door for her, offering his hand for support as she climbed out of the Jeep.

 

“Goodnight, Dany,” he told her, voice quiet and his breath barely a visible cloud of condensation in the cool night air. His hand did not linger on hers after she climbed down as he had quickly stuffed it into his coat pockets. “I’ll see you Monday.”

 

“See you Monday, then,” she managed in reply. “Thank you for tonight.”

 

Jon gave her a small smile. As she climbed the steps up to the front door, Dany could hear him climb back into his car and start the engine. She spared a glance over her shoulder, seeing him still sitting there flicking through his phone, probably reading through the new messages from Ygritte.

 

After she got inside and turned off the lone light that Rhaegar had left on for her, Dany took the stairs two steps at a time and went straight into her room. The headlights of his car illuminated her room from below her window, and she watched as the light receded as he pulled out and drove away. Turning away, she sought her makeup wipes until her phone sounded with a notification. Dany picked it up from where she had flung it onto her bed, swiping open past Jon’s selfie on her lockscreen.

 

Jon had tagged her in a photo, and pushing away the slight trepidation that always accompanied seeing other people’s tagged photos of her, Dany opened it up. It was the photo they had taken earlier at the party, and she felt the uneasy knots disappear as a strange, yet _fluttering_ sensation took its place when she read over his caption.

 

_‘How about ‘my Queen’?’_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi to me on tumblr [@smoldany](https://smoldany.tumblr.com). 
> 
> A FYI - the rest of the updates will be more spaced out from here on out. Life is going to be insane during October-November, so maybe fortnightly updates.


	3. Lacrosse jersey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Endless gratitude goes to my lovely beta [trixareforeveryoneaq](https://trixareforeveryoneaq.tumblr.com). This chapter would have been a literal dumpster fire without her help and input. Y'all go give her fics all the love, comments and kudos they deserve! 
> 
> And also for my Drunk Musketeers - [gotarcher94](https://gotarcher94.tumblr.com) and [jonerysbitch](https://jonerysbitch.tumblr.com) \- y'all know I love you both to bits and pieces.
> 
>   
>    
>   
> 

It had been weeks - actually, _months_ \- since Dany had last spoken to Robb.

 

She wasn’t purposefully avoiding him, but neither was she going out of her way to see him. In truth, she no longer knew what she could say to him.

 

_“Hi Robb, I’m just fake dating your cousin because I don’t want you to think I’m in love with you.”_

 

_“Oh hey Robb, could you not tell your ex-girlfriend, who happens to be my friend as well, about the love letter I wrote for you that you were never actually meant to see? That’d be swell!”_

 

And that was how she slipped into her new routine. Dany hated it but found it was better to say nothing than anything to Robb, and this only encouraged her to commit to her role as Jon Snow’s girlfriend. In fact, there were days where she could just pretend they were no longer playing a game of charades for people to see. They were just that good at it. It felt… _natural_. It felt easy. It was seamless how their hands found each others’, fingers intertwined with a reassuring squeeze as he drew circles with his thumb around her palm.

 

In a wonderful, dream-like daze, Dany found herself being twirled around at school as Jon held her close, or how he insisted she leave her coat at home as he draped his letterman jacket around her shoulders when the thermometer dropped, or even how he finally relented and let her choose the music on their drive to and from school. But when she spotted Robb helping his parents unload the truck as Jon dropped her off after a study date, or found his disconcerting gaze as Jon took her hand, parting the hallway so they could get to class on time after an impromptu coffee run before school, she was reminded why they were doing this. She was just not ready to give it up yet, unsure how much longer she needed before she had to confront him about the letter.

 

And now that she was alone in the stands, surrounded by people she did not know, helplessly watching the lacrosse game that she barely knew the rules to and looking downright comical in Jon’s away jersey, Dany could no longer avoid Robb as he squeezed his way through to the empty seat next to her.

 

“His jersey suits you,” came the quiet comment when Robb sat down. His eyes were trained on the field, watching the players charge at each other with their lacrosse sticks. “It looks great, actually. Same goes for his jacket.”

 

Dany did not know how to respond to this. Compliments made her blush and feel uncomfortable, but there was an underlying bite to Robb’s comments; a bitterness that made her heart clench. She didn’t want their first conversation in months to be like this.

 

“How did you know I was here?” she asked him instead, conscious of how ridiculously large the jersey was on her. She fiddled with the hem, which almost reached her knees, and her thumb brushed over an auspicious reddish pink stain on the white fabric.

 

“You’re not hard to spot, Dany,” Robb said, voice plain and perhaps even… tired? “Can we talk now, or are you going to ride your bike away again?”

 

She felt her jaw clench at the sting of embarrassment and guilt. Dany clasped her hands together to stop them from wringing and stomped down the urge to bolt from the stands. She had always chosen flight before, but now it was time she stayed back to fight. It was the least she could do.

 

“Is there something up?” she asked him, voice faltering despite her best attempt to keep it even.

 

Robb pursed his lips as he snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. Of course something was up. But she didn’t want to be the one to bring it up first. “I just– well, you and my cousin are dating and everything. Who would’ve known? Daenerys Targaryen _and_ Jon Snow, the most–”

 

The crowd behind them erupted in sudden cheers and hoots as the home team scored, drowning out the rest of Robb’s words. One of the grass stained players waved at her as the players jogged back to their starting positions, and Dany made out the number fifteen on his jersey. It was the same number that was stenciled on the jersey she wore, and she smiled despite herself, waving back at him.

 

 _“Show off,_ ” she heard Robb mutter next to her as the cheers quietened down. For some reason, this annoyed her.

 

Dany crossed her arms and faced him, chagrinned. “Does it seem _that_ implausible for someone to date me?”

 

Her tone was more acebric than she intended, and she regretted it when Robb flinched. “No,” he backtracked, “It’s unbelievable that… you’re like this innocent, sweet girl and Jon is like, well, he’s a _dick_. He’s my cousin and all, but I know what kind of guy he is.”

 

“You know, that makes me sound really boring,” she said, irritation now bubbling to the surface, replacing her initial uneasiness. “And I’m not _that_ innocent.”

 

“Well, _okay_ then,” Robb scoffed, rolling his eyes at her.

 

This remark only stoked her ire. Dany stood up, deciding to leave rather than hear the rest of what he had to say. The lacrosse game was in its final quarter anyway, and Winterfell High seemed points ahead of Castelry Rock. “Well, if that’s the reason you came down here to talk to me then–”

 

“No, it’s– wait, Dany,” Robb got up, blocking her path. Now mindful of some of the looks they were getting, she sat back down in her seat, trapped between wanting to walk away from him and not wanting to cause a scene. Robb gingerly sat back down, frustration clear on his face. He let out a breath before continuing. “Look, did you... Did you mean what you wrote in that letter?”

 

“It was a long time ago, Robb,” she said in a dry tone. Her answer wasn’t helpful, she knew, but she didn’t know how else to explain the situation. It was the best answer she had for him.

 

“It was dated _months_ ago, Dany.”

 

“It was a mistake that it was sent to you,” she told him tersely. “You should have never seen it.”

 

“But I _did_ see the letter, Dany. I can’t just… just _unsee_ it. What am I supposed to do?”

 

“Not tell Margaery?” she supplied helplessly.

 

“ _Not tell Margaery?_ ” He repeated, exasperated. “She’s not even talking to me. I haven’t spoken to her in _months_ , Dany. That’s not even a concern.”

 

The final bell sounded across the field and the crowd around them erupted in exhuburent cheers and hoots as Winterfell High was declared victorious. As people started leaving the stands, Dany finally found her chance to exit this conversation. “I’m sorry- I, look Robb, I’ve got to go.”

 

“So that’s it?” Robb jumped onto his feet again and grabbed her hand, forcing her to face him. Dany snatched her hand away from his grip, but stopped at seeing the distressed expression on his face as he tried to understand the situation. She had to remind herself that he hadn’t done anything wrong and none of this was his fault. “Marge dumps me, you’re dating Jon and we can’t even be friends anymore?”

 

“Robb, I don’t know how to be friends with you right now,” she snapped, hearing her heart beating fast in her ears. She felt the thrum of anger course through her at being forced into this confrontation combine with the sadness of feeling like she lost one of her closest friends and the guilt of just leaving him hanging. Perhaps this conversation was overdue, or perhaps they weren’t quite ready for it yet. Either way, she had to remove herself from this situation. “We can’t go back to how it was _before_ you and Marge dated, and we can’t go back to how it was _while_ you dated. I just don’t know anymore.”

 

Each word that came out of her mouth was like a whiplash, hurting him as his face fell. And she _hated_ it. “If I knew this is how things would end up, I wouldn’t have,-”

 

“ _Don’t_ ” she told him in a low voice, “don’t finish that sentence. Don’t look back, Robb. It’s done.”

 

“Then why can’t we- then why can’t we just go back to how it was before? To forget about those letters, Dany, please–”

 

“We can. Just… just not right now.”

 

Feeling a lump rise in her throat, Dany turned to leave, no longer able to look at him. Robb tried to stop her, to tell her they weren’t finished, but she pushed his hand away. She hated what their friendship had been reduced to and how they could barely speak to one another anymore with this animosity hanging between them.

 

All she wanted was her friend back, the boy next door, the one that used to make her laugh and understood her need for quiet company. There was no need for all this bitterness but alas, the letters were out. And this was how the chips fell.

 

_I should have never written him that letter._

 

But she did. She knew if she truly wanted Robb back in her life, then she’d just have to get over her embarrassment. He even wanted to forget about those letters and to go back to how it was before, which did give her a small kernel of hope amidst the despair. Maybe… maybe they _could_ be friends again. Just not right now after everything they had said to each other.

 

Still reeling from her encounter with Robb, her terrible luck further pushed her straight into Ygritte’s sights. Dany was trying to make her way past the crowds and down to the carpark to the Jeep until a grating voice called her name. Taking a shuddering breath of the crisp night air, Dany turned around to face her antagoniser and her pack of friends.

 

“Ygritte, I don’t have time for this,” she tried to dismiss them, but stopped abruptly upon hearing Ygritte’s comment about the small stain on Jon’s jersey.

 

“The jersey suits you, Targaryen,” Ygritte’s wicked smile only grew as she eyed her. “Vintage is your thing, isn’t it? Guess you’ll even make do with my second hand stuff.”

 

Dany looked down to where Ygritte was eyeing. It was the reddish pink stain that she had noticed earlier, and everything clicked together once she glanced up to see that satisfied smirk on Ygritte’s lips. The stain looked faded, like someone had tried to scrub it out. But had it been just a little darker it would have been a perfect match to the shade of lipstick Ygritte was wearing...

 

The embarrassment that flooded through her was so strong, she felt like it was choking her.

 

Pushing past them without a word, Dany escaped back into the crowds trying to reach the carpack from the lacrosse field. Their jeering laughter rang in her ears all the way down to the Jeep as she bit on her lip, forcing herself to focus on the sharp pain to drive back the tears that threatened to spill.

 

She wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t going to let herself be affected by Ygritte’s stupid, taunting words. No, she was going to keep her head high and find Jon so they could enjoy what was left of their Friday night. What happened between Jon and Ygritte was in the past. She couldn’t get upset every time Ygritte threw it in her face. She also refused to think about what the redhead will inevitably taunt her with when their fake relationship was over and Jon was back at her side.

 

Dany finally navigated her way through back to the carpark. Jon had told her he wouldn’t take long, that he just needed to quickly change after the game and would find her by his Jeep. There was another lacrosse party they had to attend tonight, since they had spent the last couple of weekends doing movie marathons at her place. But all she wanted to do was go straight home and forget about social interactions for a few days, or weeks, or months...

 

She didn’t have to wait long before Jon jogged towards her, looking exuberant after their victory. But upon seeing her standing there with her arms crossed tightly, he shucked off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

 

“You’re _shivering_ ,” he rubbed his hands up and down her shaking frame, trying to warm her up. Dany didn’t realise how cold she was until she pushed her arms through the sleeves. “I’m going to tell mom to crank up the heating.”

 

When he noticed the downcast look on her face, he frowned. “Shit, are you okay?”

 

“ _Mom_?” she repeated, pulling the jacket around her tighter, grateful for the warmth it provided. She didn’t want to recount her evening to him. There was no need to ruin his victory high with her problems. “I thought we were going to Renly’s?”

 

Jon shook his head and pushed back a few errant damp curls from his face. There was a knowing look in his eyes, so dark and perceptive. “I’m going to give this party a pass. Arya’s been nagging me non-stop to bring you home,” he pulled her closer and she unconsciously leaned into his chest. He planted a quick kiss in her hair, his lips moving against it as he asked, “unless you wanted to go?”

 

She could feel the curve of his smirk and how his chest rumbled as he tried, and pathetically failed at, hiding his chortle. Dany looked up and, quirking one eyebrow at him, gave him a look to show she did not share his amusement.

 

Smirk still on his face, Jon just threw his hands up in the air, unlocking his Jeep. “Right. Stupid question. Let’s go meet my sister.”

 

* * *

 

They only had to take two steps inside the front door before a little figure barreled right into Jon. Arya Snow, a skinny girl of barely eight years old, managed to tackle all the wind out of her older brother the moment they entered the house.

 

Jon had warned her earlier in the car that Arya was likely to ambush them from the shadows, so it was safer if he entered the house first. Dany thought he was exaggerating, but had to stifle her yelp when Jon almost toppled backwards from the impact. He grunted loudly, exaggerating his movements as he lifted his sister up into his arms until her feet dangled a few feet up in the air and swung her around.

 

Watching this little scene reminded Dany so much of her own relationship with Rhaegar when she was younger. He loved to swing her around and used to let her climb onto his back as he pretended to be a dragon running through the house with Viserys chasing after them. This was all during a time when his smiles were still vibrant and untouched with the melancholy of the past few years.

 

Jon plopped his sister back down, mussing her hair as he did so. There was a lightness to him, a genuine playfulness as he beamed at Dany while Arya huffed her hair out of her face. “So this little heathen here is Arya. Told you she’d attack if you weren’t careful.”

 

“So  _you’re_ Dany,” Arya’s granite eyes flicked up to where Dany stood by the door, entirely perplexed and unsure what to do or say under the sudden weight of the little girl’s stare. Arya regarded her for a moment and then, as if satisfied with something, concluded, “you’re much prettier than Ygritte. She looked like a scarecrow.”

 

She and Arya wore matching grins as Jon rolled his eyes. Dany had a good feeling she would get along handsomely with Arya as she grabbed her by the hands and led her into the kitchen. Jon followed behind, muttering something about having to be sandwiched between both his girls for the evening.

 

“Mom always bakes something whenever Jon wins a game,” Arya told her, and it was only just now that Dany noticed the small smudge on the girl’s nose. “But he’s always out. So tonight means we get to bake something.”

 

“I’m not _always_ out,” Jon objected from behind them.

 

“You are with Dany,” Arya quipped back without missing a beat.

 

“ _Rascal_.”

 

“Will you two heathens,” called out a voice from somewhere behind the fridge, “please stop giving our guest the impression that I raised two wildlings for children?”

 

Dany had never met the Stark’s famous Aunt Lyanna. In fact, Jon and his family were a rare sight next door at the Stark’s place, except for the occasional birthday celebrations or barbeque that Ned Stark loved hosting from time to time. Rhaegar always politely declined their invitations, citing that he did not want to impose on a family gathering, but this did not stop Catelyn Stark from bringing over a small mound of food the next day.

 

Whatever notion or preconceived image that Dany had of Lyanna Stark dissolved before her eyes at seeing just how _young_ Jon’s mother was. She had always imagined Lyanna to be someone, well, _older,_ and closer to Ned and Catelyn Stark’s age. But there she was - young, vivacious, and causing a small raucous in the kitchen as she moved pots and pans to find a cooling rack.

 

“Sorry, Mom,” Arya mumbled as she climbed onto a high chair, watching her mother push the assorted baked goods onto a rack to cool. “But it’s true. Dany’s prettier than Ygritte.”

 

“I know I’ve told you not to lie, but _manners_ , please, when we have guests over,” Lyanna wiped her hands on her apron and turned around, “Now, Jon, who’s-,” her words were cut off as her grey eyes regarded Dany standing by the archway of the kitchen. The momentary shock wore off, and Lyanna smiled brightly. “Jon, I didn’t realise your Dany is _Daenerys_.”

 

Jon gave her a hand a small squeeze. He seemed just as unsure as she did at his mother’s bewilderment. Clearing his throat a little, Jon led them both into the kitchen and away from the dark hallway. “Mom, so this is Dany. Daenerys Targaryen. Though it seems like you already know.”

 

“I do,” Lyanna took off her apron and before Dany knew it, she had her arms wrapped around her, pulling her in tightly and startling her a little. “Dany, it’s finally good to meet you. Jon hardly brings friends home, let alone his girlfriend.”

 

“And you too, Ms Stark,” she said a little weakly, still a little nonplussed at how Lyanna seemed to have recognised her. But Dany pinned it on the fact her family lived right next door to the house that had seen three generations of Starks within its walls. It was possible that Rhaegar and Lyanna knew each other - in fact, she was almost certain even though her brother did not mention much of his childhood.

 

“Lya will do, darling,” Lyanna told her, taking a step back to look at her with soft, almost watery, eyes. “I hope you don’t mind my saying but, it’s just, I see _so much_ of your mother in you, Daenerys. I honestly thought she appeared in my kitchen just now.”

 

Dany bit in the insides of her cheek. While she appreciated Lyanna’s compliment, she felt the comparison was weak. Her mother was beautiful, graceful, _regal_ even and she… she was plain, pale and clumsy. Pushing down the wave of sorrow at the mention of her mother, she could only give Lyanna a small smile in thanks. “I don’t mind at all.”

 

“So, how did y’know Dany, Mom?” Arya wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth, which only served to smear some more chocolate down her chin. Jon grabbed his sister a tissue, but Arya soundly ignored it.

 

“Well,” Lyanna started, her eyes flicking up to meet Jon’s. “In another lifetime, Daenerys could have been your aunt. I dated Rhaegar back in high school.”

 

At this revelation, Jon stared blankly at his mother with his mouth opened ajar while the pieces somehow fell together in her head.

 

Lyanna smirked at her dumbfounded son with a smugness that was identical to Jon’s usual shit-eating grin. But her smirk turned into a gentle smile when she turned to Dany. “It’s those violet eyes of yours. Or the hair, I can’t quite remember what struck me first about your brother. And it seems this attraction to Targaryens is hereditary from the looks of it.”

 

Snapping out of his stupor, Jon narrowed his eyes at his mother as a hint pink touched his cheeks. They turned even pinker when Arya giggled at her brother’s expense.

 

Dany tried to bite back her own smile at seeing Jon’s embarrassment but failed when Lyanna, with a perfectly straight face, said, “onto more important matters. Did Jon tell you that he was the cutest, chubbiest baby?”

 

“He didn’t,” Dany grinned.

 

“I’ll have to show you pictures.”

 

“ _Mom,”_ he groaned, his entire face now bright red as Arya began to laugh outright.

 

“What?” Lyanna asked innocently as broke off a small chunk of Arya’s brownie. “Everyone knows baby pictures are the right of dating passage, darling. I’m sure Rhaegar showed you some of Daenerys.”

 

“He hasn’t,” Jon said, turning to Dany as if this whole thing was her fault.

 

“He probably will next time you’re over,” Dany sighed. “Especially after that last dinner where he tried to cook.”

 

Concerned, Lyanna leaned forward. “Rhaegar _cooked_?”

 

She grinned, instantly recognising that slight grimace that was a mixture of apprehension and moderate disgust that was all too common around the Targaryen household whenever Rhaegar pulled out their mother’s old cook book. “He tried to make Mom’s meatloaf recipe and we all stared at Jon as he tried to swallow it down. After Jon finished half of it, Rhaegar fessed up and told him he’s passed the test. We already had some Thai ordered, and we were just waiting for it to be delivered.”

 

When Lyanna threw her head back and let out peals of laughter, Dany decided right then that she liked her. “Oh, I wish you had filmed that,” Lyanna said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “You know, I remember your mother always making these wonderful pastries for us growing up. Honey fingers, they were called, I think. In fact, anything she made was always so wonderful.”

 

“She was a brilliant cook,” Dany said in quiet agreement. Jon’s gaze met hers, his eyes assessing her and making sure she was okay before shooting his mother a pointed look.

 

Lyanna’s expression softened, regret flashing across her face. “I’m sorry, Daenerys, I did not mean to… I shouldn’t have.”

 

Shaking her head, Dany tried to will away the dull grief that suddenly seized her. She had to try and push above the sombreness that descended upon her every time her mother was mentioned. Putting on a small smile, she said, “It’s fine. She loved cooking, and I guess it’s unfortunate for all of our digestive tracts that Rhaegar didn’t inherit an ounce of her skill.”

 

* * *

 

“So, Arya’s a little wild,” she remarked as she handed Jon a stack of plates to load into the dishwasher after dinner. With the last of the plates done, Dany leaned back against the counter and watched as Jon loaded everything in. Lyanna and Arya had given them some space in the kitchen as they went upstairs to watch a movie. “Can you imagine her and Nessie teaming up?”

 

Jon shook his head, grimacing a little as he closed the dishwasher door. “We’d need a bunker. They’d be a force to reckon with.” After he punched in the settings, he turned to face her standing there by the counter. There was a softness in his eyes as he held her gaze, and after wiping his hands on a dish rag, he approached her, “Hey, Dany? I’m sorry about what Mom said earlier.”

 

“About how we could have ended up as aunt and nephew?” she teased, and Jon just cocked his head, eyes narrowed and unimpressed.

 

“You were far away after she mentioned your mother,” he explained, but she knew exactly what he was referring to. “I’m sorry. I should’ve mentioned it to her earlier. But I arranged this sort of last minute after the game.”

 

“It’s okay,” she told him, voice soft. “I really enjoyed tonight. It’s nice getting to know them.”

 

“Even Arya?”

 

“ _Especially_ Arya,” she brushed a few strands of hair away from her face, tucking them behind her ear. “It’s honestly fine. Actually, it felt… nice talking about her and to hear some stories about her. Rhaegar doesn’t bring her up much at home, and it’s refreshing to talk about her without sounding like she was some great tragedy. Like she’s a devastating sadness that no one wants to bring up.”

 

She pushed herself up onto the kitchen island as she watched Jon pack away some cutlery and plates from the previous load. “Is it strange not having your dad around?”

 

Jon took a moment to answer as he continued to put everything into their corresponding places. There was a distant look on his face, and Dany wondered if she had probed too far.

 

After finishing with his task, Jon came over and leaned against the island next to her. “It’s not as weird as it was before. But not having his photos around the house… and not seeing him around is still odd sometimes. At times, I’d miss him, then I’d think about everything he’s doing with his new wife and kid and I’m just–” Jon took a breath, shaking his head as disgust coloured his voice, “I get so mad at him that I’m _glad_ he’s gone. That he’s left us to be happy without him.”

 

“You don’t mean that,” she told him quietly, “You can be mad at someone and still miss them, Jon.”

 

Now it was his turn to shake his head. “I don’t know about that. But you must miss your mother, yeah?”

 

There it was. His gentle probing, peeking over the walls she had so carefully constructed. Jon’s hand met hers along the edge of the kitchen island and gave it a gentle squeeze.

 

She swallowed away the lump in her throat, her voice no longer trapped whenever she tried to speak about her mother. “I do. Everyday. But, just sometimes, I think it’s just been so long now that... When I’m doing my homework, or doing the dishes, or helping Nessie with the laundry, or whatever, and I’m thinking about my family and I realise that it wasn’t just my brothers and my niece and me. I remember that Elia was once there, that I was supposed to have a nephew and a mother and a father. It’d only happen for a split second, but I’d feel so guilty that I forgot about the ones not here anymore.”

 

Dany felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders; freer, lighter, no longer carrying those emotions, unwilling to let anyone help her with the heavy load. “I actually think that’s the first time I told someone.”

 

Jon gave her a gentle smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling a little as he did so. “I understand. It makes sense to me. And,” he hesitated for a second, jaw clenched before he shook his head. “I don’t really hate my dad. I don’t mean it like that. He’s not, y’know, at least he’s...” His words trailed off, unsure what to say.

 

“Not dead?” Dany supplied, and Jon looked down.

 

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

 

“It’s okay,” she gave him a small smile when he lifted his eyes back to hers. “You’re not a bad listener, y’know.”

 

“Yeah?” He asked, chest puffed out a little with that satisfied smile on his face. “Why thank you. And I suppose you’re not too bad either.”

 

“Thanks,” she said, and Jon’s smile only widened as his arm nudged hers. She supposed having him to talk to about these things, about the loss of her mother, wasn’t too bad. Whether it was in the contract or not, it still felt _nice_ nonetheless.

 

* * *

 

_‘Have something important to do at lunch. See you and Nessie after school?’_

 

Dany read over the text from Jon as Val set up their contraband lunches underneath the bleachers the following Thursday. For the first few weeks of school, the principal and Val had some sort of truce regarding her lunch time escapades down to the Mall. As long as she attended all her classes, or at least attend school and minimised her absentee days, Principal Baratheon was going to turn a blind eye to her lunch time truancies.

 

But now that Val was starting to skip a class here and there, most notably their P.E lessons, they were forced into eating their contraband Subway sandwiches out of sight. Not that Dany encouraged her friend’s truancies, but it was harder and harder to reel Val in while eating lunch with Jon and his friends in the cafeteria.

 

Dany unwrapped the subs from the plastic bag and noticed that Val had gotten a third. Val normally buys two subs, unless she received a text ahead of time to grab a third. This only happened when there wasn’t leftovers to take to school at the Stark household, or if Robb slept in and forgotten to pack his lunch. Feeling a little uneasy, Dany looked up at her best friend. “Are we expecting anyone?”

 

Val took a sip of her soda, looking a little confused at Dany’s question. “Well, who else normally eats with us?”

 

Dany felt her appetite disappear at this confirmation. Their argument at the lacrosse game was still fresh, and she wondered how he could just nonchalantly join them after everything she had said to him on Friday night. “Val, why did you–”

 

“Oh c’mon,” Val interjected, shuffling over to make some room for Robb as he ducked underneath the bleachers to join them, “I saw him eating with Sansa and her friends. You gotta pity a man who has to sit with his sister’s friends at lunch.”

 

Admittedly, Dany did. She knew all too well what type of loneliness drives a person to sit with their siblings and their friends instead of having a social circle to sit with. But after their last encounter, she wasn’t sure why Robb would want to ditch Sansa for her instead.

 

“Hey,” he slipped Val a few bills to pay for his share of their smuggled lunch as he shuffled into a spot opposite her and next to Val. “Thanks for getting this, Wilde.”

 

Dany took another bite of her sub, giving her mouth something to do than to sputter out something stupid. Or hurtful. Or both. Robb gave her a tight-lipped smile as he unwrapped his lunch.

 

Val, who had been oblivious to their months of awkwardness, of non-communication, barged through their silence with as much grace as an elephant in a fine china store. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a lunch like this. Not since Dany started courting the King of the Cafeteria, dethroning that scarecrow from her wooden post.”

 

At this snarky remark, Robb stifled his laughter and Dany covered her mouth before she embarrassed herself. His blue eyes met hers, twinkling again with mirth. “It has been a while, huh?”

 

Were they okay again, just like that? She wanted them to be. Robb had wanted them to push past the letters, to forget about it, but she was unsure if he could move past everything she had said to him that night on the stands. Testing the waters, Dany broke in half her raspberry and white chocolate cookie and offered it to him. “Trade you for half your chocolate chip.”

 

Without hesitation, Robb broke his own sugary treat in half and held up the larger piece for her. “Deal.”

 

That constriction that she felt around her chest and throat slackened as they exchanged pieces. Perhaps it _was_ as simple as that. While she could never explain to one of her closest friends why, or how, she ended up dating Jon Snow, she was just glad they seemed to be on talking terms again.

 

“So,” Robb began after he had inhaled his sub, “how did Ygritte take it?”

 

“How did you think?” Val gestured to Dany, “Her ex moves onto something better and she’s stuck with a college dropkick.”

 

Dany felt her ears burn red at the compliment, and Robb just laughed. Admittedly, sitting back with just the three of them felt _easy_ . Safe. Sure, Marge, Vis and Doreah were off at college and she was now dating - _fake_ dating - Jon Snow, but the three of them together here felt like nothing had changed.

 

Overhead, the three of them heard steps on the bleachers. Val shushed the both of them, pressing a finger to her lips, afraid that they had been caught. But Dany recognised the pair of shoes through the slots as she stared up. In fact, she recognised _both_ pair of shoes that climbed up the bleachers.

 

Robb shot her a look, and she suddenly did not know if she wanted to be down there anymore.

 

“Should we go?” Robb asked her, voice hushed. He started packing his bag up, but Val hissed at the both of them to be quiet.

 

_“...Ygritte, it’s not the same.”_

 

_“You literally spend all your time with her these days. You don’t even talk to me anymore.”_

 

_“Why would I? You told me to stop being such an idiot, and here we are–”_

 

Dany felt her stomach sink at this. Their voices confirmed their identities, and she wanted to run. She did not need to hear any of this. She wished she didn’t hear any of this. Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, she grabbed her bag, ready to leave.

 

“This seems personal,” she murmured, “I think we need to go, guys.”

 

Robb looked almost as uneasy as she felt. But whatever he said was drowned out by the sudden pounding of her heart in her ears as a flush of panic started to creep in.

 

“ _Shhh!_ ” Val hissed at the both of them again, pointing a finger above them to where Jon and Ygritte were sitting. “She’s actually after your man, Dany.”

 

_“Look, obviously she isn’t enough if you’re still here–”_

 

_“Ygritte, stop. You just… you can’t keep doing this to me.”_

 

 _“Well, what about the ski trip? Wait, is_ she _going? That’s our thing.”_

 

_“Why does it matter to you, Ygritte? You have a boyfriend. You don’t need to pretend anymore, you’ve made it clear you-”_

 

_“Well, maybe by then I won’t.”_

 

No longer able to sit there without possibly being sick, Dany discarded her sub and slung her bag over her shoulder. She climbed out from underneath the bleachers and tried to keep her lunch down. Val and Robb hurried out after her, but only Val followed her back inside school. A small voice amidst the humiliation and panic worried she had been caught by the both of them, but she decided at this point, she was uncaring if she was caught for accidentally spying on their private conversation.

 

_‘Have something important to do at lunch.’_

 

* * *

 

“We’ve got more honey fingers from the markets,” Nessie said as she unclipped her seatbelt when Jon pulled up in front of the house. She looked at the two of them in the front seat, wary of the tension between them. “I’ve saved you a piece inside if you want, Jon.”

 

The ride home was quiet except for Nessie’s few interjections as she recounted her day at school. Bran had apparently suffered a fall, which explained why Robb left last period early to tend to his brother. Jon was worried, but when Nessie said that his younger cousin appeared to be okay, he continued his sullen silence. The radio did little to shift either of their moods, and was little more than white background noise.

 

“Go on in, Nessie. You know Rhaegar will want to hear about your day,” Dany told her niece. Nessie gave them an odd look before climbing out. Rhaegar’s SUV was parked out in the front, so she was keen to see her father during daylight hours as she dashed inside.

 

“I saw you talking to Robb earlier,” Jon finally said after Nessie had disappeared into the house. She turned to look at him, but he was staring straight ahead at the Stark household. “You two seem alright now.”

 

There was something in the way he said it that rankled her. After what she’d heard at lunch and how she’d been feeling all afternoon, she was not in the mood for this.

 

“Just like you and Ygritte on the bleachers,” she remarked dryly. “You two seemed pretty serious.”

 

That got his attention. No longer just staring into space, he turned to her and frowned. “You were spying on me?”

 

Dany didn’t like the accusation in his tone. “Not intentionally,” she said, frowning right back. And it was true. She was not under the bleachers to spy on her _fake_ boyfriend. She was just there to have lunch with her friends while her _fake_ boyfriend attended to something important. “But you told me you had important things to take care of.”

 

“And I did,” Jon said, but he was not quite looking at her as he said this. “That’s not the point. It’s just– Dany, what are people going to say when they see my girlfriend cosying up with Robb Stark?”

 

She wasn’t sure if her eye actually twitched at hearing this, but she _was_ sure that she felt the dragon inside of her start to stir . “But this _is_ the point. And what’s me talking to one of my _closest friends_ compared to you having not-so-secret rendezvous with your ex, trying to desperately get back with her?”

 

“ _Get back with my ex?_ ” Jon repeated, exasperated. He pinched his nose bridge in frustration and that made her blood boil even more. She was not some silly child who didn’t know what she was talking about. “Dany, are you even hearing yourself right now? I’m here with _you_ , driving _you_ home–”

 

“Because it was in the contract.”

 

“And we’ve got the ski trip coming up this weekend–”

 

“Only if we’re still together,” she interjected, her voice sharp. There it was, that ugly green monster finally reared its head after she spent the last two periods at school trying to rationalise everything in order to avoid it. But the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if it was just mere jealousy or actual sound logic. Jon was going to inevitably end up back with Ygritte, just as she and Robb had moved past that letter for the sake of their friendship. There was no point delaying this. “That was a contingency term in case we needed more time. But Ygritte is officially jealous and wants you back. Robb and I are finally on good terms again. And now that we’ve both got what we wanted from this, I don’t think we need to continue.”

 

“But we _are_ still together,” he said, voice firm. “You’re just trying to escape. You’re scared, Targaryen.”

 

“Scared of _what, Snow_?” she seethed at him.

 

“You tell me.” And with that, Jon climbed out of the car and retrieved her bag from the back seat. Dany scrambled after him, unclipping her seatbelt quickly but he held open the door for her anyway. He offered a hand to help her climb down, but she disregarded it as she held onto the handle to jump down. He dropped the proffered hand and clenched it into a fist at his side. “We’re going on the ski trip together because _we are still together_.”

 

“And I’m saying there’s no reason to be.”

 

Before she could stride past him to the house, he quickly braced his hands on the Jeep on either side of her head, caging her in.

 

“And _I’m_ saying,” he told her in a low voice as he leaned down so that his face was only inches from hers, “that there is.”

 

His stubbornness, his stupid _insistence_ , that they were still together after everything that had transpired at lunch infuriated her. And perhaps, for the first time after avoiding it for so long, Dany finally understood that emotion that filled her whenever she was with him. But rather than admit it, either to herself or to Jon, she pushed it deep down inside of her and pivoted.

 

He wanted to drag this out and go on the stupid ski trip?

 

 _Fine_.

 

“Whatever. I’ll go,” she bit out, crossing her arms, and Jon’s scowl only deepened when she suddenly smirked at him. “I’ll go if Val goes as well.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update will likely be in two week's time. Possibly two and a half. Let's see how productive I am.
> 
> Before I get a slew of comments wanting to stake Jon - just remember the POV restrictions of this story means Dany doesn't get the _full_ story of what's going on. Not yet, at least. Jon has a bit of explaining to do next chapter.
> 
> Also come say hello to me on tumblr [@smoldany](https://smoldany.tumblr.com)! :D


	4. Rubrik's Cube

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many, many thanks to my wonderful beta once more, [trixareforeveryoneaq](https://trixareforeveryoneaq.tumblr.com).
> 
> Also [gotarcher94](https://gotarcher94.tumblr.com) and [jonerysbitch](https://jonerysbitch.tumblr.com) \- y'all know I still love you both to bits and pieces.

 

After Jon had driven off after their exchange outside the house, Dany dumped her bag by the door and sent Val a distress call to come over immediately. Her plan relied on her staunchly flakey friend to avoid this school function, and Dany needed to get to Val first before Jon, through sheer divine intervention, convinced her otherwise to attend. Somewhere in the kitchen, Rhaegar called out to her and Dany could only mumble out a half greeting while she raced up the stairs to get her plan moving.

 

Even if Jon did call Val first, she rationalised, there was no reason for Val to _want_ to attend the damn trip. Asides the fact Val avoided school functions like the plague, the Wilde family frequented the slopes during the winter break every year. There was no way Val would want to make the trip up twice in such a short amount of time, as she always came back complaining about the poor reception she received up there in the lodges. This would then prompt the usual conversation where Val asked why Dany didn’t accompany her and her family to the ski lodge despite numerous invitations to do so, and as per the past three years, Dany politely rejected her friend’s offer. As much as she loved her best friend, the very idea of spending a few enclosed days with Ygritte was just outside the farthest realms of consideration.

 

Which was also why Dany had to absolutely avoid this ski trip at all cost.

 

Asides the fact it was Jon and Ygritte’s thing, attending it would be also mean she was just setting herself up for a weekend of utter humiliation. She could not stand to spend two whole days of having Ygritte’s beady eyes constantly watching her, of having to tiptoe around the lodge to avoid her and her group of friends, and having her nerves constantly on edge listening to that grating voice mocking her nonexistent skiing skills. This was not factoring in the exhausting pretence she had to keep up with Jon while she waited for him to finally run straight back into Ygritte’s arms. And despite his assurances earlier, Dany was not moved.

 

They had started this knowing it was going to end with Ygritte wanting Jon back, and for her to bid some time before confronting Robb over that letter. It wasn’t meant to be real. It was all for show. And she was not going to actually _fall_ for Jon Snow by the end of this.

 

Honestly, she wasn’t.

 

Her phone buzzed in her back pocket and Dany pulled it out to read Val’s response to her distress call. In doing so, Jon’s folded note fell out but she merely disregarded it on her bedroom floor. Val didn’t take long to respond as, after all, she was constantly glued to her phone. After reading her text to confirm she was driving over, Dany grabbed a change of clothes to take a quick shower before informing Nessie to keep a lookout for Val’s electric green hatchback.

 

By the time she emerged from the bathroom, towel still in hand to dry off her damp hair, Val was over in the living room chatting to a very uncomfortable looking Rhaegar.

 

“...look, all I’m saying is it’s quite strange. How does one come to the realisation that their life’s calling is to look at vaginas and slimy babies being pushed out of said vaginas all day? Because that birthing video we had to watch in Health freshman year gave me nightmares,” Val queried as she examined all of Rhaegar’s various accolades and qualifications framed in the living room. She stopped in front of his framed certificate admitting him to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

 

“We’ve been over this, Val,” Rhaegar sighed.

 

“Have we though?” Val questioned. “I mean, I’m not questioning _how_ you’re providing for your family, Dr. Targ, but really?"

 

Eyes widened in horror, her older brother caught sight of Dany as she stepped into the kitchen and mouthed a silent plea for help as she went to grab a honey finger from the plate. Rhaegar had emerged from his little study to grab himself another coffee but found himself ambushed by Val’s incessant, and albeit odd, line of questioning.

 

Nessie, who was sitting at the kitchen countertop with her video game, glanced up. “Well,” she began, “Vis was always walking around the house with a philosophy book in his hand. Especially at night. So maybe Dad was–”

 

“Speaking of Viserys and not of the natural process of life,” Rhaegar interjected, relieved at having found his way out of the conversation, “did you want to give him a video call, Ness? He should be back from dinner now. We’ll let Val and Dany talk out here.”

 

“Well, sure I guess,” Nessie considered, hopping off the high chair. She gave her father a pointed look. “You know, if my allowance was just _a little_ bit higher, I would’ve had enough for a ticket to visit him in London.”

 

Rhaegar grabbed his mug of coffee and gestured towards his study. “And if I didn’t have to constantly buy detergent and dryer sheets for all the loads you’ve been running, maybe I could have afforded those plane tickets twice over.”

 

As they left, Val shot Rhaegar a look as if to say their conversation wasn’t over. Both father and daughter disappeared into the study to leave the two friends to talk, with Rhaegar making it a point to close the door behind him. On her way out, Dany heard Nessie still muttering about her meagre allowance and how it would take _decades_ of doing the laundry before she saved up enough money to visit her uncle across the pond in London.

 

“So,” Val plopped herself onto the couch, grabbing a cushion as she did so, “why is that boyfriend of yours harassing me about the ski trip as if _I’m_ going?”

 

“So you’re not going?” Dany asked, feeling the pressure within her abate when Val’s face scrunched up in horror at the mere suggestion she was considering attending. This was the exact reaction Dany hoped for, and she could have lunged forward to embrace Val right now.

 

“School functions? _Me_? Oh darling, I avoid those like my uncle avoids his taxes,” Val scoffed, but her eyes narrowed at seeing the pleased smile on Dany’s lips. “Aren’t _you_ going with your new boy toy?”

 

She grabbed a cushion and leaned back with her damp hair pressing against her back. Reflexively, Dany reached for her wrist where her scrunchie would normally reside before remembering that it was still in Jon’s possession. He made a dumb excuse saying how  _her favour_ brought him luck in his lacrosse games, given that Winterfell High was on a winning streak, and would not return it to her just yet.

 

Annoyed at this vein of thought, she flipped her damp hair onto her shoulder as to not cause a wet patch against the couch. “I’m not going, Val. I told him I’d only go if you did as well. And I sort of knew you were planning to avoid it like every other year.”

 

Val’s change in attitude was instant. Alarmed, she sat upright and exclaimed, “ _What?_ Dany, Dany, Daenerys - you  _have_ to go. Ygritte will get her talons all over Jon if you stay home.”

 

“So let her sink her claws back into him,” Dany told her, feeling that tired uneasiness sink back after she tried to defuse it earlier with a warm shower. “I’m sick of having her beady little eyes on me all the time. It’s like having a Tim Burton character watching your every move for the past three months.”

 

Val shook her head as if she were indignant on Dany’s behalf. “You cannot possibly give up now. It’s _bullshit_ that bitches like Ygritte get whatever they want with a snap of their fingers.” Folding her arms across her chest, Val had her mouth set in a firm line with a look of determination in her steely eyes. “No, _you_ get Jon. I’m making sure of it. I’m going on that gods forsaken ski trip this weekend.”

 

With her carefully thought out plan dissolving right before her eyes, Dany sunk back further into the couch. “You know Val, I’m really tired of you using me to get back at Ygritte,” she said, defeated. What was she going to do now?

 

_It’s in the contract. It’s binding._

 

Val shook her head, “It’s not just that… though that’s just an added bonus,” she admitted, flashing Dany that wolfish grin. “Since you’ve been with Jon, well, I don’t know, I’ve never seen you so happy.”

 

Dany stared at her friend as if she had suddenly grown two heads.

 

_Happy?_

 

“Val’s right.”

 

The girls turned at the sound of Rhaegar emerging from his study, carefully closing the door behind him as to not disturb the video call taking place inside. With the look on his face, Dany knew he had been listening behind the study room door. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but you two weren’t being exactly quiet.”

 

Dany eyed her friend and brother, wondering what sort of conspiracy they both had cooked up. Rhaegar placed his mug onto the benchtop and continued. “I haven’t seen you have so much fun. You’re coming out of your shell, Dany. You’re venturing out and no longer hiding from people. And I don’t know if Jon’s responsible for this new confidence, but I don’t think you should stop just on his account.”

 

Val gave Dany a pointed look, pleased with Rhaegar’s little addition. “Dr. Targ, thank you for your input.”

 

“Even though no one asked you,” she muttered under her breath, but Val knocked her against the knee for her snark. With an exaggerated groan, Dany leaned over the couch, staring at her older brother enjoying his second coffee. “Can’t you be a protective overbearing brother just _this_ once and forbid me to go?”

 

Rhaegar snorted into his mug. “I actually had a lot of fun attending those ski trips. In fact, my high school girlfriend and I would–”

 

“ _Rhae_ ,” she interrupted, feeling perturbed at the sudden mental image of Jon’s _mother_ and her _brother_ together, “you can stop. We get it.”

 

When Val gave her an inquisitive look, Dany just waved the whole matter off. It was a can of worms that she didn’t particularly want to open up right now. Everything was strange enough as it was without explaining how Jon Snow could have been her _nephew_ in another life had Rhae and Lyanna not split up before college.

 

Her mind now turned to her looming fate. This weekend was only days away and there were not enough hours in a day for her to prepare herself for the ski trip.

 

How could she possibly prepare herself to endure Ygritte’s cutting looks and torment while her fake relationship with Jon Snow crumbled right before her?

 

_But you knew it was coming._

 

She did. The end was inevitable. That much was clear; they were just pawns in each other’s games, and as their respective pieces were starting to finally line up, Jon had seemingly abandoned the board to protect his queen.

 

Knowing the end didn’t mean it hurt any less though.

 

Falling for each other was supposed to be off limits; she thought it was something that they didn’t need to include in the contract as it just went without saying. It was just an unspoken rule she thought they _both_ were following stringently, religiously, but now she was unsure.

 

Dany had been so self-assured that she was not going to let her guard down, and that the end of this charades was supposed to be a _relief_. It was supposed to signal that her life was going to revert back to how it was. Robb and her were on speaking terms again as they slowly went back to their easy friendship with her letter forgotten and left behind.

 

And yet, it wasn’t relief that she felt as she sat there, withdrawing within herself as Rhaegar invited Val to stay back for dinner. No, it was a feeling that was akin to a mirthless realisation, filling her with a despondency that she could not quite place.

 

_If this was fake, then why does it hurt?_

 

* * *

 

Dany had felt nothing but a sinking trepidation all of Friday at the thought of the ski trip, and all the possible calamities that could occur over the weekend. Val and Robb, who sensed her restlessness, came over to help her pack for the weekend. She knew Val came over in part to ensure she was still attending, while Robb sat in the corner of her room and watched them pack and dig through her closet to find her heavier winter clothes. His demeanour was quiet with contemplation, blue eyes dull as he mulled over his words.

 

“Did you want me to come as well?” Robb asked when Val left downstairs to locate her heavy winter boots.

 

Dany only shook her head as she folded some thermals and tucked them into her bag. There was something a little unnerving about Robb’s uncharacteristic broodiness. “You don’t need to. I’ll be okay.”

 

He was not convinced. In fact, Dany could not fool even herself.

 

“Look, if Jon tries _anything_ this weekend, I swear I’m going–” Robb stopped himself, taking in a sharp inhale as she visibly  _flinched_ at this suggestion. “I’m sorry. I know, you can take care of yourself. And Val’s going.”

 

“Jon’s never like that, you know,” she warned him, voice soft but firm nonetheless. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

 

“Look, I was going to use the money I was saving to visit Marge in Berkeley to go,” he stood up from the chair, hands balled up and shoved into his pocket. “It’s not too late. There’s still some space, and I’m sure I can share a room with Greyjoy or something.”

 

“Robb,” she let out an exhale and threw a ball of socks towards the direction of her luggage, uncaring if it missed, “I don’t need you to come just to _baby_ me. I’m not some clueless girl.”

 

Robb backed down and sunk into his seat. They remained silent while she packed as neither of them wanted to discuss the topic any further until Val finally lunged up the stairs with Nessie in tow. Trying to push past the discomfort of the past few minutes with Robb, Dany decided to help Nessie carry down her laundry hamper while Val made a few comments about child labour laws.

 

The following morning, Rhaegar dropped her off at school on his way to his mid-morning shift at the hospital. Nessie had waved them off goodbye and made her swear to take photos of the rumoured albino wolves that resided in the forest next to the ski resort. Dany made a mental note to follow up with Rhaegar about the type of conspiracy theories Nessie was finding on the internet.

 

Rhaegar parked a short distance away from where the bus was and answered a call over his car’s Bluetooth system. Rather than leave without saying goodbye, she stayed seated, savouring the last of the heat before she had to make the short journey outside in the icy air.

 

Taking a breath, Dany peered out of the window to where her classmates were slowly loading their luggage into the side of the bus before boarding. She wondered if it was too late to back out now, but upon seeing Val’s faded purple streaked hair against one of the windows towards the back, she knew running was definitely no longer an option.

 

Val had asked her last night about what could possibly go wrong this weekend. They were just going to sit by the fire for the next two days with hot chocolate and watch the jocks make a fool of themselves on the slopes. And if Val was feeling particularly benevolent, she might even teach them how it’s done with her superior skills and knowledge of the slopes.

 

But Dany had an answer to that supposedly reassuring question. The picture her friend painted of the cozy weekend away was as far away as possible from the image she built in her head.

 

The best case scenario, she felt, was that an avalanche was somehow caused by Ygritte’s shrill voice and swallowed her whole before anything could happen to her. She and Val could then proceed to enjoy their hot drinks by the fire with a book or two.

 

Meanwhile the worse, and most likely, scenario was that Jon prolonged the breakup this weekend. This, in turn, will force her hand, and she is then promptly humiliated as Ygritte paraded around the lodge with Jon wrapped around her little finger once more.

 

Rhaegar cleared his throat as he reached for his bag in the back seat of the car, evidently done with his conversation with a colleague about a complicated case. “Hey, I’ve got something for you to take on the trip, kiddo.”

 

This snapped her out of her catastrophisation, and instead focus on how suddenly very uncomfortable her older brother looked. Her eyes narrowed at the plain paper bag he pulled out from his bag that he handed to her.

 

And just like that, all thoughts of Ygritte, Jon and possible public humiliation flew out her mind. Her eyes widened at realisation when she pulled out the box of condoms from inside the bag, and a wave of mortification came over her.

 

“ _Why_ are you giving me these?” her voice came out a pitch higher than usual as she held up the offending box in front of her.

 

“Look, I know you’re smart enough not to do anything just because a boy wants you to, but–” Rhaegar took a steadying breath, as if bracing himself before a painful procedure, “I just want you to be _safe_. Abstinence is not a form of contraception, and do not even _think_ about the pullout–”

 

Dany shoved the offending box into the depths of her bag before anyone within a mile radius noticed her flaming face. “ _By the gods_ , Rhaegar! You can stop right there!” Her hand clawed at the door handle to get herself out of the car, but Rhaegar continued.

 

“And most teen pregnancies can be prevented if you’re just _safe_.” Before the conversation could become any more uncomfortable, Dany quickly jumped out of the car and grabbed her luggage from the boot, removing herself from the impromptu _talk_ that her brother suddenly wanted to have with her.

 

“I’ll see you Sunday evening,” Rhaegar called out to her, but he was still not looking an ounce less uneasy than he did a moment ago. “And don’t forget to have fun.”

 

“Yeah, well, I’ve got plenty of rubbers for that specifically, don’t I?” she snarked back, almost slamming the boot shut before she wheeled her luggage away. Rhaegar merely waved at her as she went. She knew he meant well as he tried to ensure she was _safe_ , especially since the infamous Winterfell High ski trip was a tradition back in his time as well, but his worries were unfounded and not needed.

 

Dany hoped the frigid air helped explain why her face was still pink. Pulling the collar of her jacket up higher, she queued up to get her name marked off and luggage stored and tried to repress the last few moments in the car with her brother.

 

After loading her luggage, she boarded the bus and her eyes sought to find Val’s sleeping figure against the window somewhere towards the back. But rather than find her sleeping friend, her eyes caught Jon’s as he waved at her and pulled his backpack from the seat next to him. But that smile of his faded as she walked right past him after she located Val, ignoring the empty seat next to him.

 

“Dany, wait- where are you going?” he climbed out and squeezed past one of their classmates trying to load something into the overhead storage compartment.

 

She knew it was petty, but she couldn’t help it. Jon had dragged her into this ski trip, but she was adamant on at least spending this weekend away on _her_ terms.

 

“I’m going to sit with Val,” she explained simply.

 

“With Val?” Jon peered over her shoulder, “She was up at some EDM concert last night, did you know? She’s going to be zonked out for all four hours–”

 

“Then all the more reasons to sit with her,” she said, trying to move past him. “I have to make sure she doesn’t swallow her tongue or something in her sleep.”

 

Jon looked like he wanted to say something more, but he bit his lip. “Fine, Targaryen,” he said and retreated back to his seat without another word, his face set in a scowl.

 

Dany settled into the seat next to Val, who groaned loudly at the intrusion to her sleep and nestled her head against Dany’s shoulder.

 

“I got home at _three_ last night for this, y’know,” she mumbled, pushing some hair out of her face and mouth, “I can’t believe you tricked me into attending something where I had to be up before seven.”

 

“I didn’t trick you. You could’ve just stayed home,” Dany leaned into Val, and felt her best friend shake her head against her shoulder.

 

“I wasn’t talking to _you_ , Dany,” she murmured, “Was talkin’ to the trifecta. Y’know, revenge, pettiness, and glee.”

 

As more students boarded the bus and the filled the seats, Dany spotted Ygritte making a beeline towards the empty spot next to Jon. He glanced away from the window that he was staring out of when she approached. From this distance, Dany could not make out what was said but she could guess as Jon moved his bag aside for the redhead to sit.

 

Perhaps, she thought, this was finally going to end sooner rather than later.

 

In her attempt to ignore the inevitable, Dany closed her eyes and settled into a comfortable spot against Val and tried to get some sleep. The doors finally closed, and after a head check by the chaperone, the bus pulled out of Winterfell High and towards the motorway for the ski resort.

 

* * *

 

  
Dany tried stretching out the crick in her neck from the long bus ride while taking in the grandeur of the lobby. Val had gone off to collect their room keys from the front desk seeing as she was better at bartering than Dany was. Moments ago the chaperone for this trip, who Dany found out was just a senior on the lacrosse team, ripped up the list of allocated rooms and told the group of juniors to _“sleep wherever you want, motherfuckers”._ It was currently chaos as people scrambled around trying to swap for rooms big enough to accommodate their friends, or as couples tried to find more private rooms.

 

She tried to retreat into a small corner, wheeling both her and Val’s bags behind her, to avoid the mayhem and to get out of the way. But a shadow followed her, tapping her on the shoulder when she finally found a quiet spot to sit by the window to watch the snow fall outside.

 

“Hey,” Jon greeted and gestured to the bags she was lugging around, “need help carrying those to your room?”

 

She thought he looked rather dour for someone who was able to sit next to the girl he wanted.

 

“I think I can manage,” she told him, but at seeing how his face fell briefly at her bluntness, she quickly added, “but thank you. They’re not that heavy, and Val is coming back soon with our key card.”

 

“Do you know which room yet?” He asked, taking a seat beside her. “I’m only sharing a room with Sam on the third floor. Swing by later with Val to hang out, maybe?”

 

_You want me and not Ygritte?_

 

Pushing away her surprise and desire to immediately say yes, Dany opened up her backpack to reveal the novels she brought along. Her plan was to keep herself as occupied as possible this weekend, even if it means catching up with school work. “Think I’m pretty set for this weekend.”

 

Jon only blinked at seeing all the books before his eyes narrowed. “Can you spare a moment to talk this weekend _at all?_ ”

 

 _To talk?_ _About what?_

 

Dany licked her lips, unsure. Before she could answer, Jon turned around at the sound of his name being called. Ygritte only smiled sweetly at the two of them sitting in the corner with Myranda by her side. She eyed Dany’s opened backpack, but instead of making whatever comment about her fashion choices, she said, “Hey Jon -- last one down the Black Diamond owes the other a hot chocolate. Deal?”

 

Gathering the bags, Dany lugged them awkwardly past Jon’s legs when she saw Val waving her down with a triumphant grin. Next to her was Loras Tyrell, who looked equally pleased as he stood there with his arms crossed against his chest.

 

“I think it’s safe to say you’ve got a full weekend as well, Jon,” she said drily, moving past him.

 

Jon gathered his backpack, a scowl on his face. “There’s a hot tub sectioned off in the courtyard. I booked it for _us_ at seven-thirty.”

 

“I’m sure Ygritte will enjoy the soak,” she told him, her voice flat.

 

“ _Dany_ –”

 

“I’ll see you around,” she cut him off and pushed on towards Val. Her backpack fell onto one shoulder until it dangled off her elbow. With a huff, she slipped it back across a shoulder, uncaring about the weight of the combined bags.

 

“Your back will thank you for not carrying around all those bodice rippers, you know,” Val commented when Dany joined them. Without a word, Loras grabbed the girls’ bags from her as he followed behind them towards the elevator, “and besides, how are you fitting in reading between all the skiing we’re doing?”

 

“Oh, I’m definitely _not_ skiing,” she told her with a sigh, trying to shake away the thought of Jon and Ygritte tumbling around in the snow together. “I’ve got enough work this weekend. And they’re not just bodice rippers - I’ve got work to finish for English Lit.”

 

“That’s due _after_ winter break, you mean?” Val held the elevator door open for them. She gave Loras an imploring look, “Come on. Tyrell, back me up here.”

 

“I don’t do cold,” Loras sniffed, adjusting the cuff of his jumper, “sorry, I’m with Dany on this one.”

 

“Did you both _not_ see the fresh snow outside?” Val swiped their keycard and entered their floor number, “It’s perfect skiing conditions. And imagine all the idiot jocks trying to do each other out there. It’s literally a winter wonderland, guys.”

 

Dany gave Loras a look, and he only shrugged. “I’ve packed face masks.”

 

Loras took one step closer to Dany, “Well, I’m sold.”

 

* * *

 

“So you’re telling me that this entire thing has been _faked_ _?_ ” Loras wiped off the residue of the mask with a towel just as she was peeling off the sheet from her face. “So you did this to avoid Robb because Margaery dumped him? Even though he was _completely_ fine with the whole thing?”

 

Dany looked over to her companion in the bed next to her and Val’s. Loras found himself stranded without a room just as Val managed to secure a room with a queen and a double bed. He and Renly were having issues, and if that wasn’t enough, rumours were starting to spread around the school regarding both the boys’ sexuality. Not even his swimming teammates wanted to offer him a bed in their rooms, so naturally, Val and Dany immediately offered him a spot in theirs.

 

“Jury is still out if he’s moved on from the letter,” she sighed and accepted the towel Loras handed her to wipe her face down. “But yes, that pretty much sums up my life for the past three months. Fake dating and other little crises.”

 

Val had left their room to ski after leaving her bags sprawled unceremoniously across the floor. Sidestepping them earlier, Dany was starting to unpack until Loras asked her a simple question that unravelled the tightly coiled up ball of emotions she carried around for the past few days.

 

_“So how are you and Jon? Stop me if I’m prying, but that wasn’t a happy look on his face in the lobby earlier.”_

 

It could have been because his presence here felt familiar - almost like having Marge back home, rather than across the country in California. She missed her friend, missed having a confidant that guided her across the murky waters. And upon assurances from Loras that he would not speak a word to his older sister, Dany unravelled her secrets.

 

“Look, I don’t really care about how this started,” Loras said, shifting in his bed to face her, “but Jon likes you. And not just as an accomplice or friend or whatever other platonic phrases you want to use. He’s in _deep_. You can tell by the way he looks at you with those big doe eyes of his.”

 

Dany leaned back against the bed frame. She couldn’t help but feel cynical at this, even though a small part of her really wanted to believe in the picture Loras painted for her. The thought of any boy - even her _fake_ boyfriend - staring at her all adoringly was just... odd. Not something she contemplated before or really imagined. “And _how_ does he look at me?”

 

“Like you’re some sexy Rubrik’s cube,” Loras said with a laugh, which in turn made her laugh too at how absurd it sounded. “Now, I don’t know if homeboy has actually solved one before, but he’s doing his damn hardest to figure you out.”

 

“But it doesn’t matter,” she sighed, “he’s still so obsessed with Ygritte. And I’m…” her voice trailed off a bit as she finally pulled herself to admit it aloud, “I’m just another girl who stupidly fell for him. This is going to be embarrassing.”

 

Loras scoffed at her, and she only stared back at him. “Let’s examine the facts since you’re stubborn as hell about this. _Jon_ suggested the whole fake dating after you guys shared that epic kiss on the track. _You_ wrote down the no kissing rule, which he argued about might I add. _Jon_ is the one who watches you with sappy heart eyes when you’re not paying attention. _Jon_ is the one who always seems to be needing to touch you in some fashion when you’re near him. _Jon_ is the one who keeps insisting you guys are together. And _you’re_ the one who keeps trying to break things off,” he only shook his head, grinning like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Not to mention the fact you’re up in your room hiding with a gay man while he’s out there in a hot tub waiting for you. I’m sorry, but it seems like it’s _Jon_ who stupidly fell for someone who doesn’t like him back.”

 

Dany blinked owlishly at Loras while she processed what he was saying. Was it really as simple as that?

 

A small nagging voice told her that perhaps it should not be this simple, but she had always fervently wanted life to not be a constant Rubik's cube to be solved over and over. Looking down at her hands, Dany closed her eyes and tried to will away the heart palpitations that were starting to become painful inside her chest, thrumming loudly inside her ears.

 

“I think you know what to do,” Loras told her when she opened her eyes again. “Take a right and head down the stone path when you’re in the courtyard.”

 

Dany grabbed her coat, pulled it on top of her nightgown and headed out of the door.

 

* * *

 

Hugging her coat tighter, Dany followed the lights that decorated the pathway down to where Loras said the hot tub was located. She had to steady herself a few times when treading down the stone steps, as wearing the complimentary slippers on the uneven icy ground wasn’t one of her smartest moves. Not to mention her mind was miles away from worrying about where she was stepping, causing her to almost fall on her face a few times. And that was the last thing she needed.

 

Jon was alone in the hot tub, his damp curls free from his usual half bun as he peered up at the night sky. Under different circumstances, perhaps she could have taken a moment to admire the sight of his freed ringlets. Or his toned arms from all those years of lacrosse. Or enjoy the fact he was shirtless inside a hot tub like any other girlfriend would have. Shaking away those thoughts, Dany moved closer and made her presence known to him.

 

“You’re by yourself out here?”

 

Jon didn’t move, although his eyes briefly flickered to where she was standing. Through the steam, Dany thought she saw his lips twitch a little, but otherwise, he did nothing else to acknowledge her standing there.

 

“So, the silent treatment, huh?” she wondered aloud.

 

Jon bit. Slowly, he turned to her with a slight crease of his brows. “Oh, _I’m_ the one ignoring you now? Nice one, Targaryen.”

 

If she wanted to work things out with him, to speak honestly with him and cut through their game of deceit, she had to try harder to remove this animosity between them. Dany climbed the steps up onto the wooden deck and carefully sat down with her feet dangling off the edge. Sighing, she said, “I’m not a skier, Jon. I’ve _never_ been skiing before. I’m not like her where all this stuff is effortless. I wasn’t going to give her another reason to make fun of me.”

 

“And I’m not a mind reader,” he replied, his voice taut and eyes downcast. “Wished you would’ve told me what’s up rather than just ignore me back on the bus.”

 

She was a little taken back from this. “Well, you ended up sitting next to the person you actually wanted. So, I didn’t see the problem.”

 

Jon bit down on his bottom lip and she could see his hand clenching and unclench through the stream of bubbles. “You know, for someone with perfect grades, you can be a bit dense sometimes. You know that?”

 

“Calling me ignorant isn’t helping, Jon,” she bit back.

 

Jon sat upright in the hot tub with his arms outstretched on edge to prop himself up. “I wanted to sit next to _you_ , Dany.” His stormcloud eyes met hers, his voice taking on a huskier tone than she’s heard before, “I even packed the snacks for you. Mom even made us some brownies and I asked Nessie where I could get those honey fingers.”

 

Dany knitted her brows in confusion.  “The Farmer's markets. That’s.. that's across town from you.”

 

_Surely…_

 

“I know,” there was a hint of a smile as he watched her bring all the pieces together. “So if I went all the way across town to get you something you like, then…” his voice trailed off, his hands gesturing her for an answer.

 

“You must really like honey fingers?” she answered, biting back a small smile of her own.

 

Jon flicked some water her way with a wide exasperated smile on his face. “You are _impossible_ , Targaryen.”

 

Biting back the smile she felt forming in response to his, Dany arched a brow at him. “And you’re _infuriating_ , Snow,” she turned to dip her feet into the hot tub, allowing them as so far as the first step. With her arms resting on her knees, Dany leaned forward with the hot tub lights dancing on her face. “I’m sorry I didn’t sit with you.”

 

Jon only shrugged at this with his gaze holding hers. “It’s alright. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the counselling.”

 

“The counselling?” she repeated.

 

“It’s where I’ve been disappearing off to every now and then,” Jon admitted, his grey eyes looking away up at the night sky before he continued. He shook his head, burying that flicker of vulnerability. “It’s nothing… super serious.  It’s just my dad. I told you how he remarried last year with a new kid. Ygritte saw me and she– she was just asking me why I was still making appointments."

 

Dany bit her lip as a heavy emotion gripped at her chest at seeing just how downcast, at how vulnerable, Jon was. Not only was this something he obviously wanted to be kept secret, but that it slightly eased the knot in her stomach that hadn’t gone away since she heard them under the bleachers. It wasn’t something easy to admit, to say aloud, and she knew first hand all the excuses she would tell her friends whenever a teacher collected her in the middle of classes back in middle school after her mother passed. And those fleeting moments of pain and vulnerabilty ran much deeper than what he was letting others see.

 

“I didn’t want to hide that from you. But it’s not really something…,” His words trailed off and his squeezed his eyes shut momentarily, seemingly frustrated with himself as he tried to find the right words. “I didn’t know how you would react. I thought maybe… maybe you’d react as Ygritte did. Saying how I know nothing, to get over it, but you haven’t. And then while all of this was happening, she’s been just _tormenting_ you. And I’ve been doing nothing - I’m just nothing, like him, aren’t I?”

 

She placed her jacket aside and descended into the hot tub. Jon licked his lip, watching her unblinkingly as she climbed in. “You’re not, Jon.”

 

“You’re in your nightgown,” he murmured dumbly. “Dany–”

 

“I didn’t bring a swimsuit. Didn’t think I’d need one,” she explained, “And there’s nothing to be ashamed of about seeing the counsellor. I need you to know that.”

 

It could have been the heat of the hot tub making her face feel almost unbaringly warm, or that pleasant feeling that fluttered in her stomach with her heart beating almost painfully in her chest. His stormcloud eyes beckoned her towards him, drawing her in inches away from his face. She felt light-headed, she felt like she could _fly_ as Jon cusped the sides of her face with his hands.

 

“You’re the only one to say that,” he murmured. She could feel Jon’s breath against her cheek, sending an electrifying shiver down her body.  Her eyes were only drawn to his lips as he breathed out, “There’s no one like you, Dany.”

 

She leaned into the kiss with her fingers reaching for the damp curls behind his neck while his hands found the back of her legs, hiking her atop of him. She could feel his laughter against her lips when she tried to find balance with her legs straddling him, and he steadied her with his hand on her hips. Their lips melded together, tongues tasting the faintness of the chlorine from the hot tub and the sweetness the rush provided.

 

Dany thought she was flying before, but now as she was running her fingers through his curls, as he sucked and nipped on her bottom lip, she felt grounded to him and only him.

 

And in that moment, they both knew their charades was up, evaporating like the steam around them.

 

* * *

 

Jon picked up her jacket and offered her robe - or rather, insisted she have his robe to walk back inside. “You’re going to have hyperthermia,” she told him, trying to keep her teeth from chattering as she climbed out of the tub. An icy breeze blew through the courtyard, causing goosebumps to erupt all over her exposed skin.

 

He ignored her and wrapped his robe around her shaking frame, his eyes not lingering over her wet nightgown clinging to her body like a second skin, “And you’ll get sick walking back in a wet nightgown.”

 

Before she could protest, Jon grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his shoulders. Somewhere behind them, one of the staff members were calling out to them about overstaying their session in the hot tub. Together, with Jon’s hand firmly holding hers, they rushed back inside the ski lodge with their breaths of laughter forming clouds of condensation.

 

Once inside the heated lobby and ignoring the odd looks by the other patrons and staff at the desk, Jon punched the button for the elevator and snuck her a quick kiss.

 

“Only making up for lost time,” he murmured against her hair as they waited for the elevator to descend to the ground floor. He squeezed her hand with his much larger one, and she squeezed back.

 

When the elevator door dinged opened, Jon twirled her inside. Her legs still felt like jelly after the hot tub, and he steadied her by pulling her close to him. When the doors closed, he leaned down as she reached up to meet his lips.

 

“Absolutely _no one_ like you, Targaryen,” he breathed, releasing her.

 

Tongue tied, breathless and perhaps even seeing _stars_ , Dany could only give his hand a third squeeze as Jon led her back to her room. Fumbling, she retrieved her key card from her damp jacket and before she could swipe the door open, Jon stilled her by pushing back some damp hair from her face.

 

He was about to give her a soft kiss against her forehead, but Dany reached up onto her toes to meet his lips instead. Smiling as he kissed her, his hand reached down to her sides as if holding her to the ground they stood on before she floated away.

 

Jon wished her a good night’s sleep and retreated back to his room on the opposite end of her floor. Leaning against the door of her room, Dany closed her eyes to still her beating heart before she turned in for the night.

 

When she entered her room, Val and Loras gave her knowing grins. The two of them sat across their respective beds, with one of her romance novels each in their hands. Not saying anything, Dany rummaged through her bag for a spare change of clothes she could sleep in, but Val handed her a spare set she brought along.

 

And that night, despite the soft snores of her roommates, she found herself lured into a peaceful sleep. Perhaps one of the best nights she had in awhile.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.. I'm sorry about the wait. Hopefully it was worth it? :D
> 
> Next update: TBA. I'll be travelling for the next few weeks, and I'm planning to do some changes to the plot so that's going to take me a while to untangle. I will try to minimise the wait as much as possible though.
> 
> Got more questions? Come say hi on my tumblr [@smoldany](https://smoldany.tumblr.com)! :D


	5. The Scrunchie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many, many thanks to the wonderful [trixareforeveryoneaq](https://trixareforeveryoneaq.tumblr.com) who did a marvellous beta job with this chapter and for being a wonderfully patient friend.
> 
> If you've seen _To All The Boys I've Loved Before_ , you know what's coming up. And if you haven't (you should though), I apologise in advance.

 

 

 

Dany climbed off the bus while massaging a crick in her neck from sleeping against Jon’s shoulders. They had returned to their rooms late last night, and she felt like she had barely slept for a minute before being woken by Val and Loras. They tried to fish details from her about her the hot tub session, but Dany dodged their lines of questioning by throwing a pillow at them. Successfully, even while still half asleep, she managed to hit Loras.

 

“It’s between us,” she told them firmly as they dressed and packed for the ride home.

 

Loras quirked an eyebrow at her as he stuffed his clothes into his bag. “For _now_ . Anyone taking bets about how long before this becomes locker room talk amongst the lacrosse team?”

 

“That’s _if_ we even did anything,” she deflected and then dismissed Loras’ remark while doing one last check of the room. Jon wouldn’t. She knew he was not the type, and that was why he stood so far apart from the rest of the jocks.

 

Jon was already waiting for her outside of the room, and he happily carried both their bags down to the lobby and loaded them onto the bus. Dany hurried in first to nab them both a seat with Loras and Val sitting behind. And as she dismissed the second round of interrogations, the seats in front of her erupted into small cheers and claps when Jon boarded.

 

In was in that very moment that Dany reconsidered Loras’ words.

 

“It’s nothing,” he dismissed when she asked about it after he took a seat. “I mean, we’re a couple on the ski-trip. They’re just being idiots.”

 

“ _Idiotic jocks_? Gee, who would’ve thought.” She teased, feeling a little bit more assured. Jon rolled his eyes and grabbed hold of his backpack where his snacks were contained for the trip.

 

“Whatever you say, Targaryen,” he said while unwrapping a honey finger from its packaging, “You’ve officially just lost snack privileges for that one.”

 

Comforted, Dany rested her head against his shoulders while he brought the curtains over the windows.

 

She had slept through most of the bus ride home and had a sore neck to show for it. Looking around, she saw that Val and Jon had went off to collect their bags so she made a beeline to mark their names off with the trip’s chaperone.

 

To her luck, Ygritte was ahead of her in the line and for a moment, Dany considered waiting back to allow a few people to line up in front of her. But before she could move away, Ygritte turned around and saw her standing there.

 

With her trademark sardonic grin, she asked,  “Had a nice trip, Daenerys?” Her voice sounded so sweet and sincere that Dany mentally went on the defensive. “It was your first time, wasn’t it?”

 

“It was fine,” she told her and marked her name off with Royce. The chaperone was still blurry eyed from the bus ride, and he muttered unintelligibly as he ticked off their names.

 

Ygritte did the same and flicked her hair over her shoulder as they walked away, “Also, don’t you hate how frizzy your hair gets inside that bus?”

 

Dany eyed her, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It wasn’t characteristic for her to come all the way over here to chat about… hair?

 

“Ygritte, is there something I can help you with?” she asked point blank. It had been an eventful weekend and she just wanted to go home. “I’ve got to find Jon and grab my stuff, so please-,” Dany stopped as Ygritte pulled a hair tie from her wrist and began gathering her hair up to tie back. It was a distinctive red and black scrunchie that Dany was familiar with as her own reflection in the mirror.

 

_My mother’s scrunchie._

 

“Where did you get this?” She asked her, her voice a pitch higher than usual. Rage and disbelief mingled together. The possibility hurt too much to entertain, but how else would she have gotten it? “Ygritte, this is mine. You know my mother made it. She even made you one when we were younger.”

 

The accusations didn’t even make the girl flinch. Dany had to stop herself from snatching the scrunchie from Ygritte’s wrist. It was made with interwoven red and black silks and she did not want it ripped in her haste.

 

And the other shoe dropped. Ygritte grinned haughtily as she handed the scrunchie back. “Well, I must’ve forgotten. Jon gave this to me at a lacrosse party a while back ago. I thought it was rather pretty, isn’t it?”

 

Dany blinked. Jon?

 

_He wouldn’t do that. And yet…_

 

 

“He didn’t,” she stammered. But she felt dumber by the second as Ygritte just continued to smile.

 

Because Jon did. He had to have. The scrunchie Dany was now holding had just been around _Ygritte’s_ wrist. And she hadn’t seen it since the stupid lacrosse party where he practically yanked it from her hands to tie around his own wrist.

 

Not quite done with herself, Ygritte continued with that same fake admiration. “And also, I love how open you two are. Not many girls would be cool with their boyfriends staying overnight in another girl’s room.”

 

Upon seeing the look on her face, Ygritte smirked triumphantly and started to slink back to where her group of friends were waiting. “Well, I’ll see you later. Have a nice winter break, Daenerys.”

 

_She’s lying._

 

Dany turned around, trying to find her centre of balance once more. Ygritte was lying. Perhaps not about the scrunchie, but Jon would never go to her room after he walked her back from the hot tub. After everything he told her. After everything that happened. He wouldn’t. He wasn’t that type of guy.

 

_And yet, and yet, and yet…_

 

Retreating with her scrunchie securely around her wrist once more, Dany found only Val waiting for their luggage by the side of the bus. Jon’s bag laid near Val’s feet without him anywhere in sight. With each step she took towards Val, her doubts and insecurities grew until she felt like she was going to drown in them.

 

Val took one look at her face and rushed to her. Dany blinked away hot tears and cursed herself mentally.

 

“Hey, Jon’s just saying bye to a few friends. Did something happen?”

 

How much more of this weekend did she need to endure? Dany quickly wiped away the hot tears with her sleeve, hoping Val didn’t notice and held up her wrist. “I–I found my scrunchie. Ygritte had it.”

 

Confusion and then realisation dawned on Val. There was a flash of anger as she set her mouth in a hard line.

 

“ _Jon_ gave it to her? No, surely not. He wouldn’t.”

 

Dany bit her lip and just nodded. “She told me herself.”

 

She just wanted to go home and get away from here. And if she wanted to cry - which she would not - she wanted to do so in the privacy of her bedroom. “Let’s just go, Val.”

 

Val nodded, understanding. “I know, but here comes Jon now with his stuff.”

 

“Hey, ready to get going?” Jon made a grab for her things to carry, but Dany shifted away from him.

She wanted her words to come out calmly, composed, and maybe even patient. But instead, accusations flew. “You gave Ygritte my scrunchie,” she said to him sharply, “you promised to look after it. And all that stuff about it being a lucky charm for your games… it’s not true, is it? It was just a cover.”

 

Jon stammered for a moment, eyebrows furrowed. But he had all this time to explain the disappearance of her scrunchie and yet… he did nothing.

 

“I can explain - let me just drive you home,” he said finally. “You just don’t understand the situation or what happened - Ygritte–”

 

The patronising sparked something inside of her. It was the dragon stirring, she knew. “No, I think I understand perfectly,” she said coolly.

 

“I can explain what happened that night at the party,” he told her, now annoyed.

 

“Come on, we should get going,” Val said in a low voice as she gently tugged at her arm, trying to de-escalate things.

 

Dany stood her ground. She wasn’t finished yet. “And can you also explain why you went to her room last night?”

 

Jon blinked. He even looked confused, as if he had to recall the details even though it was literally twelve hours ago. “That was a mistake,” he began, voice now quiet and measured from his annoyance a moment ago. “All a misunderstanding.”

 

And there it was. Ygritte wasn’t lying. Jon did go and didn’t feel like this was something worth mentioning to her, and that hurt most of all.

 

“This,” she said as she gestured between the two of them, “is done. In every possible way.”

 

As he stood there looking like she’d just spoken to him in another language, Dany let Val pull her away before she said anything more.

 

But he still followed her as she walked off. With her heartbeat surging and pounding in her ears, she could barely discern what he was saying. Dany reeled on him when she felt his hand grab hers, having had enough of him. “Look, Jon - I’m not going with you. I’d rather walk home on the ice. No, in fact, I’d rather _drive_ myself home than be with you right now.”

 

Jon recoiled from the venom in her words and let her go.

 

_What have we done?_

 

_What have I done?_

 

* * *

  
Dany wheeled her bag across the frozen pavement and up her driveway. A small part of her hoped to hear the rumbling of Jon’s Jeep pull up alongside her after Val dropped her off. In fact, she almost wanted him to stick his head out of the window, to tell her to hop in and to stop being so petty, so jealous, that it’s all in her head . That he really didn’t give her scrunchie to Ygritte. That he didn’t really go into Ygritte’s room - that she was lying, as always, and he didn’t go to her room after walking Dany back.

 

But he didn't. It was just her, the sound of her luggage wheels gliding over the ground, and a weekend of regret sinking to the bottom of her stomach.

 

In hindsight, she knew she was better than this. She could have asked him in a more measured way. At the very least, she would have confronted him somewhere else than in the middle of the school parking lot. But the hurt and emotional drain had taken a toll on her and she could not hold up her guard any longer.

 

Dany pulled her luggage up the front steps of the porch and fumbled inside her pocket for the house keys. Once inside, she almost walked into and tripped over the luggage placed haphazardly in the hallway. She looked down and saw a _King’s College London_ hoodie draped over it.

 

Viserys was home early, and looking up she saw the end of his silver ponytail in the kitchen. Relief, sheer and utter relief, filled her and she shucked off her coat to go to him. And she would have rushed straight into him to embrace her big brother, but he halted her advance by holding up his pastry and honey covered hands.

 

“Took you long enough to get home,” he said, a wide smile on his face as he wiped his fingers down, “Had a good ski trip?”

  
Dany could only barely smile at this. “You didn’t mention you’re coming home this early.”

 

“Well, surprise,” he laughed, “exams finished early. And Rhaegar thought it’ll be a nice surprise when you get home.”

 

“And best of all, we’ve got honey fingers yesterday,” Nessie said with a flake of pastry stuck on her chin. “Won’t be much left if you don’t hurry.”

 

Dany smiled in spite of herself as she joined the two of them on the kitchen bench. Her mother always said that honey fingers can make things better, and for that brief moment as she sat there between them, perhaps it did.

 

* * *

 

“Catelyn would be happy to see you home Vis, even if it’s just for a bit,” Rhaegar mentioned as he took out one of her meatloaves from the fridge and sniffed it. Nose wrinkling, he set the dish aside. “And will we be expecting Robb later?”

 

Viserys and Nessie lounged on the couch with _Home Alone_ playing as per their winter break tradition. Viserys shrugged, not turning his attention away from the screen. “He’s busy this weekend. I think Marge is also home.”

 

“Marge’s home?” Dany asked. This was new to her.

 

Viserys turned to her. “You didn’t know? Flew home before I did. You were probably on the ski trip.”

 

Dany set her book down from where she sat by the kitchen counter. Maybe she would have known Margaery was home if her phone wasn’t switched off. She was in no rush to check for any new messages - not from Jon, not from Ygritte, not from any of them or anyone.

 

Yet, at this new revelation, she gave a cursory glance at where her coat laid draped over the couch. If Marge was home and Robb was seeing her, then maybe it was a good idea to have her phone on her.

 

_Just in case..._

 

_But he promised not to say anything to her…_

 

“So the whole crew’s home then,” Rhaegar remarked. “Will I be expecting my living room full of college freshman this week?”

 

“We might organise something, or we won’t. Depends on the lovebirds. Trouble in paradise I heard.” Viserys told them as he got up to refill the popcorn bowl.

 

From where she was sprawled over the two-seater, Nessie shot her family a dark look and upped the volume on the television.

 

“Here’s an idea,” Rhaegar said, looking over to Dany now, “why don’t you also ask Jon over when–”

“ _Jon_?” Viserys repeated, his eyes narrowing a little at the name. “As in Jon Snow?”

 

  
Dany shot Rhaegar a look and gestured for him to stop before he let anything else slip. And before Viserys could ask another question, she was mercifully drawn away from the conversation by the doorbell ringing.

 

“Probably Val,” she said hurriedly, almost leaping out of her seat to answer the door.

 

Dany saw the silhouette outside and felt her stomach sink with her heart leapt into her throat. She glanced to where her brothers stood in the kitchen before slipping outside, arms folded across her chest to brace herself for their conversation.

 

“We need to talk,” Jon said with worry etched on his face. Shoulders hunched and hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie, he stood on her front porch with a sense of urgency on his face. “Did you read my messages?”

 

“My phone’s been off since this afternoon,” she told him. Dany took a few steps down and onto the landing, away from the house so her family would not overhear their conversation.

 

“For how long?” he asked her as he followed her down.

 

She didn’t answer him. Of all the things that exploded this afternoon, surely he did not drive across town to talk about her phone. Wanting him to cut to chase, she faced him tiredly. “Jon, why are you here?”

 

“I’ll make this quick, I promise.” Jon said, “Look, just so we’re clear, _nothing_ happened between Ygritte and me last night. I didn’t stay overnight.”

 

Dany shook her head at this. He still did not understand, did he? “What happened was that you went to her room in the first place, even after everything that had happened. Even after everything you told me just moments before.”

 

“Just hear me out, please. Ygritte and I dated since we were in middle school. There’s history between us. Things like that don’t just go away overnight,” Jon explained, his voice pinched as frustration coloured his face.

 

Dany gave him a pointed look, exasperated of trying to explain to herself and to him. What may have started off as childish insecurity morphed into reality. And she’d had enough. “Regardless, I’m just tired of playing second-best, Jon. Or fake best. I don’t know–”

 

“No, no,” he rushed out. “No, please, just listen. Last night Dany - last night–”

 

“Was a mistake,” she finished for him. Jon shook his head, baffled and hurt. “We should’ve ended things before the trip. None of this would have needed to happen. And all the physical stuff may not be a big deal to you, but to me, it is.”

 

“And who says the physical stuff is no big deal to me?” He asked her, daring her to answer him.

 

But then something clicked. Back on the bus just as they boarded to go home - all those grins and high-fives he received from his teammates. And Loras’ words rung clearly in her head.

 

“Because you told your teammates,” she said slowly as realization hit her. She felt a swell of anger rise within her. Along with feeling embarrassed, violated and just exhausted. One of her most intimate moments had just been reduced to nothing more than locker room bragging. “Back on the bus. They were cheering you on like some - like some sort of _god_ , and you ate that shit right up.”

 

“Dany, can we please just go inside and talk?” He was getting exasperated now. “I think this is something I better show you.”

 

No longer wanting to be humiliated any further, Dany turned to leave. “Jon, just go.”

 

If this moment could not possibly get any more complicated, Robb walked over from next door. How long had he been standing there, or how much he had heard, Dany did not know. But he chose the worse possible moment to appear and all Dany wanted now was for the earth to open up and to swallow her, to make her disappear.

 

“She asked you to leave, Jon.” Robb said, voice taut and face set in a scowl. “I can’t believe you even showed up here.”

 

Dany turned to Robb, her face pleading with him. “Robb, I’m fine. Please, just go back inside.”

 

“No, no it’s alright,” Robb stood next to her almost protectively. “C’mon. She’s asked you to go.”

 

Jon’s face contorted with anger as he stared at the two of them standing side by side, “Dany, are you serious? So this is what this whole thing is about?”

 

_What?_

 

Dany struggled to find her voice as she felt her throat constrict in her panic. She came to the same realisation that Jon must have come to and took a step away from Robb, distancing herself away from him and the mental image Jon had arrived to.

 

_No, no, no. I wouldn’t..._

 

Her anxiety was rampant now with a thousand and one things running through her head, heart racing and her mouth dry, tongue-tied and unable to articulate a single one of those thoughts running through her mind.

 

“This was never about Ygritte and me,” he continued, enraged, “It’s about you and Robb. My _cousin_ . You accuse me of treating you like second-best, but all along it’s just been you and him–”

 

Robb made a sound that sounded like laughter or choked disbelief. “She told you to leave. And you have some nerve coming here after you leaked that fucking video–”

 

“I came here to _deal_ with that video,” Jon spat, his voice growing louder with each word. “But fuck what I think or do, right? Because the reason she wants to break up with me is because of you. You never gave her a second glance, always chasing Margaery since we were kids. And now that Margaery is in California, you decide to finally acknowledge that she’s been here all this time.”

 

Robb took a step closer, sizing Jon up. “If Dany broke up with you, then it has nothing to do with me. Don’t pin the consequences of _your_ shitty behavior on me or her. ”

 

It could have come to blows, and she wanted to step in to stop them before it did. But Jon just shook his head, took a defeated breath and stepped away. In a quiet and pained voice, he told her, “You were never second best, Dany. Never.”

 

Jon went back to his Jeep, and some part of her yelled and screamed to go after him. To explain to him that he was wrong. That they both came to the same stupid, idiotic conclusion because they did not communicate. They were just two kids screaming into the void all this time.

 

“Dany,” Robb started after a beat. But she just shook her head and gathered herself up.

 

“It’s best if you just go home,” she told him quietly.

 

“I know,” he agreed. “But check your phone. I don’t know if you’ve seen the video or not, but I was genuinely here to check on you as well.”

 

_Video? What video?_

 

Robb saw what must have been her blank expression and pulled out his phone. And for the second time in as many months, Dany felt like she was going to faint right there and then in her front garden.

 

* * *

 

Someone had filmed her and Jon inside the hot tub and posted it online with a throwaway account. The accompanying caption skewed the situation so terribly, so crudely and vulgarly that she wanted to scream - _‘SO THIS WAS WHY DAENERYS TARGARYEN BROUGHT ALONG CONDOMS TO THE SKI-TRIP?’_

 

It wasn’t the truth, she wanted to yell. She and Jon didn’t - and that wasn’t why she had those stupid condoms that Rhaegar gave her - but it was too late. The video had several hundred views already and she saw comments from various people at school underneath it.

 

She called Val shortly after, especially since there were a dozen missed calls from her. Together they reported the content for child pornography and the video was swiftly taken down minutes after it was flagged. But merely taking it down did not make all those who watched it unsee it, or make her feel any less violated and betrayed.

 

“It’s Ygritte,” Val had growled through the phone. “It’s her. It’s got to be fucking her. Just wait until I stick her with the pointy end at Christmas. Oh just wait until I tell her parents as well.”

 

Dany set her glass down as her thoughts drew her back to the diner. She needed to step away from her phone and the consecutive disasters before she drove herself insane. It was still at home, buried beneath blankets and pillows and switched off from the chaos. She could have thrown it against her wall, or out the window, or even flung it at poor Viserys who had checked in on her after she stumbled back inside and went straight into her room without another word to anyone. Thankfully, all of them were oblivious to what happened outside between herself, Jon and Robb.

  
Shaking herself from her thoughts again, Dany relaxed her hands which had clenched into fists. There were angry fingernail marks on her palms and she took a breath.

 

Their little ragtag family, at Nessie’s instance for milkshakes since it’s been forever, decided dinner at the diner was the better alternative than takeout. Viserys had enough of Indian takeout while abroad, and the rest of them didn’t feel like Thai either.

 

“So, you’ve actually gone to a pub?” Nessie questioned Viserys sharply. “You’ve even been drinking geniuses. Who are you anymore?”

 

“ _Guinness_ ,” Viserys corrected her, “And legal drinking age over there is eighteen, thank you.”

 

“Still illegal here,” Nessie muttered back at him, giving him a furtive look.

 

Dany watched the exchange as Viserys tried explaining to Nessie how his occasional pub visits were perfectly legal. She wondered if he knew about the video, and if he did, he made no mention of it.

 

Would he yell at her for being so stupid? For getting caught like this? Or would he want to rain down fire and blood to whoever uploaded that video? Dany did not know.

 

Meanwhile, next to her, Rhaegar was absorbed in thought as he stirred his coffee.

 

She turned to him as another thought resurfaced. She needed some sort of guidance, some semblance of clarity, and this was perhaps the only way she could seek it from him without divulging all the details of her day and situation. “Rhae, can I ask a question?”

 

Rhaegar looked at her, his brows furrowed, “What’s wrong?”

 

It must be a Targaryen trait to assume the worse. Either that or Doctor Targaryen hadn’t hung up his scrubs from the hospital when he came home. But she needed her big brother, not the clinical doctor.

 

There was no other way to ask him this, no other way to sugar coat such a loaded question. “What happened between you and Lyanna?” she asked him.

 

Her question and directness took him by surprise. Rhaegar contemplated his answer for a moment or two while still frowning.

 

Viserys read the table and he gently tugged at Nessie’s sleeve. “Hey, let’s go put a quarter into the jukebox.”

 

“Who’s Lyanna?” Nessie asked as she shuffled out of the booth to follow him, although Dany had no doubts that she already knew the answer.

 

“None of your business, you little gremlin,” Viserys grabbed some change from his pocket and handed it to Nessie, “Are we going to play some music or what? I’ll let you choose the first song.”

 

“She’s an old friend.” Rhaegar explained when Nessie stuck her tongue out at Viserys, and he grabbed a quarter from his pocket and handed it to her, “How about you put on grandmama’s song for us afterwards?”

 

“Alright, but Dany is going to tell me afterwards anyway.” Nessie hopped off towards the jukebox, but not before she shot her dad a piercing look.

 

Rhaegar watched until they were out of earshot before he spoke. “Dany, that’s a rather long story. Things were different, and you already know how it turned out.”

 

“I know,” she said, and before he could explain why it was different, she rushed in, “I just - I just wanted some insight. Just anything to help me understand…” her words trailed off while her eyes sought Viserys by the jukebox with Nessie. What would he think of her if he knew?

 

_His best friend. And Jon._

 

“This whole thing has become a giant mess, and I don’t know how to fix it,” she admitted to her big brother. “I want to know if what I’m doing is even right anymore.”

 

Rhaegar’s face hardened. He was the quiet dragon, but a dragon nonetheless. “If Jon is giving you a hard time, I can talk to Lyanna, or even Ned–”

 

“No,” she shook her head and Rhaegar’s expression softened. “Jon isn’t. He would never. It’s just - it’s just relationships are complicated, and I don’t know how to untangle this mess I’ve made. Whatever _this_ even is anymore.”

 

“I don’t know what’s going on and–” before she could speak, to protest, he gave her a reassuring look, “you don’t need to go into detail. I get it - I was sixteen once believe it or not.”

 

Dany gave him a wry smile, and he continued.

 

“Take a step back, but also a step out. Don’t get caught up in all the extra nonsense and lose sight of what’s really going on. What matters is what’s going on between yourself and Jon, not what others think or want. As Vis is getting into the habit of saying - just bugger them all, because it hardly matters what they say. Does that make sense?”

 

She considered his words, and although rambly, she let the weight of it settle. In his own way, Rhaegar was trying to help.

 

“I think I do.”

 

“I know you’re strong, and that you can work out whatever this is. But you have to remember you’ve got me, Vis, Val, Nessie and so many others around you,” Rhae continued, his voice taking on a softer tone, “Don’t suffer in silence, alright?”

 

He reached his arm around her, pulling her close. Dany accepted his embrace and leaned in, resting her head against him just like she had done a dozen times when she was younger.

 

“Life’s pretty complicated at sixteen, huh?” her brother quipped, and she only rolled her eyes at this. After a moment, he turned to her, “If this was about that talk we had the other day in the car-,”

 

“Rhaegar, gods, no,” she laughed. Actually laughed. In a very, very roundabout way, it was. His impromptu sex-ed talk failed to include a ‘how to deal with a sex-tape being circulated even though you never had sex’ section.

  
Changing the topic before Rhaegar decided to resume his interrupted talk, she veered the conversation back to the answers she sought. “You never said what happened with you and Lyanna.”

 

Rhaegar let out a sigh. “Are you worried Jon’s actually your nephew?”

 

Dany shot up straight in her seat, horrified at the implications of his words. “He’s not. Don’t even joke about that, Rhae.”

 

Rhaegar laughed as he shook his head. “He’s got his father’s jawline and nose. Not much else, granted, but if you squint you can see it in him and his little sister.”

 

Dany bit the inside of her lip. She wasn’t exactly comfortable with where the conversation was heading. “You’re still dodging the question, by the way.”

 

“I know, and I’ll bite,” he shifted in the booth, straightening up. He didn’t quite look uncomfortable, but she knew she was asking him to prod at an old wound. “The gist of it was that long distance wasn’t working out for us. You finish high school, get accepted into colleges at the opposite ends of the country and then hear all these horror stories about long-distance couples never working out. And the more you listen, the more it affects your relationship. In the end, we broke up after freshman year of college. Lya went to Washington State, and I stayed nearby at NYU.”

 

She saw the melancholy in his eyes as he retold their story. It was a different melancholy from the one that plagued him whenever Elia was mentioned, but it was a sadness nonetheless. Wrong circumstances, wrong timing, wrong everything. It was as simple as that.

 

“Was it love?” she asked him, and Rhaegar simply nodded.

 

“My first.” He told her, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “But not all love stories are like what they are in stories and fantasy.”

 

Heart heavy, Dany leaned back against him. She felt Rhaegar shift a little — whether he did so to welcome her embrace or was stirred by old memories, she did not know.

 

“She still remembers mom,” she recalled with a strange sense of sadness falling over her, “Lyanna brought her up a few times whenever I saw her. She always remembered mom’s cooking.”

 

Rhaegar smiled, “Mom loved her like her own daughter. She called Lyanna up after I told her we ended things, and then she refused to speak to me for a week afterwards. Biggest mistake of my life, mom would say and she was staunchly team Lyanna Stark until I met Elia.”

 

The jukebox finally cycled through to their mother’s song, as if on cue, and Viserys and Nessie came back to the booth with toothy grins. With the Dragonstone diner almost empty of patrons aside the Targaryen family, Rhaegar decided to sing along and refused to quieten down until all three joined in.

 

With her heart hurting a little less than it did, Dany came home that night with her head full of memories of her mother singing and dancing in the diner. There was she was, almost as clear as day in her mind’s eye, twirling her children around the checked vinyl floor while they waited for their malt milkshakes to be made. After everything that occurred that day, that was all she needed. A mother’s comfort, even if it was just a memory.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's left me encouraging messages during this unexpectedly long hiatus. A lot of things have happened since the last update: I've finally, finally finished my university degrees (TWO! DEGREES! DONE!); I travelled to a brand new city on the other side of the world and fell in love with said city; I've been hit with a crappy writer's block; and I've embarked on a new career that I actually enjoy but requires 12 hour work days.
> 
> The final chapter is underway, and I am hoping to finish it before the all important Season 8 premiere. 
> 
> (also please be kind in your comments)


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